The Seed that was Planted
by Reidluver
Summary: An exploration into what happened in Suna during the timeskip while Naruto was training with Jiraiya. How exactly did Gaara come to be the Kazekage and gain the respect from his people?
1. Chapter 1: Setting Out

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Well, this is my first fanfic of this show, so please tell me what you think!**

* * *

The air was crisp, a slight and gentle breeze playfully twirled sand in the desert village, and the sun was fainting in the distance. Most families were inside, finishing dinner and preparing to retire. This was when he chose to take a walk around the deserted streets, because there was no one around to give him evil stares and whisper conversations that included words such as "monster" and "ultimate weapon." This was where he could be at peace. Because he hardly ever slept, he enjoyed the quiet and friendly night the most.

Glancing over his shoulders and noticing no one was in sight, he quietly slipped out into the darkness, unaware of the surprise awaiting him.

* * *

**EDIT: Yeah, I know. It's short. Sadly, I can't really alter the chapters so we'll just have to go with my naive move when I was a simple seventeen-year-old. Please don't judge the rest of this on my poor introduction.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Chance Meeting

**_"Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but you already knew that." _**

**EDIT: Man, my early attempts at humor were pathetic. XD**

* * *

As Gaara drifted through the shadows, his mind reflected on what had happened earlier that day.

It had been like any other day, going over to the training ground to watch his siblings, Temari and Kankuro, instruct some of the village children in ninja training. Since Matsuri was now a chuunin and carried out missions on her own, he only had the opportunity to meet with her every so often. She was the only one so far who had sought his teaching and everyone else was too scared of him.

That was expected though. Aside from his brother and sister, Baki, and Matsuri, no one else had made an effort to be his friend. _Well, that's not completely true_, he thought. There was Naruto and all the other genin from Konoha. During the incident with the Shitenshounin*, Naruto had even called him a precious comrade.

Gaara still couldn't understand that. During the uncompleted chuunin exam he had almost killed Naruto and his friends. Yet he thought of him as important, and risked his life for him. His thoughts had drifted to that foreign and strange word—love. He still couldn't fully understand it, but he was closer to comprehending even a small fraction. It was becoming apparent that Temari and Kankurou loved him. Why else would they have stayed with him for so long? True—they had been mainly scared of him until the chuunin exams, but everything had changed when he apologized as they carried him home.

It had been awkward the couple minutes that followed, with Temari and Kankurou alternatively glancing at each other, Gaara, and then each other, fearing for his sanity. Unable to bear them looking at him that much, Gaara muttered that he was sorry for saying he would have killed them during the second part of the exam.

His siblings were overcome with emotion, but he didn't remember much about what happened after that because he fainted due to the injuries he sustained, coupled with the fact that it was the first time he had ever experienced physical pain before. Gaara still shuddered at the memory of first feeling his own blood seep through his clothes when Sasuke had penetrated his ultimate defense with that blue ball of chakra. Yashamaru was right—pain was something to be avoided at all costs.

After spending about half an hour wandering aimlessly through the village alleys, muffled cries sliced through the air. There was a lot of shouting and screaming, like someone was in pain. Somewhat alarmed, Gaara sprinted from housetop to housetop, searching for the source.

"Filthy little rat!"

"That'll teach you to steal from us!"

There was the sound of a small scuffle, ended by soft whimpering.

Gaara jumped one more housetop to his left and the people in question slowly came into focus. Hidden in the shadows was a curled up girl, obviously nursing wounds, and at the entrance of the alley were two tall men, pointing their fingers and laughing. One had half a loaf of bread in his right hand.

"Might as well keep it. This has already been soiled by your putrid hands, wench!" Then the man threw the bread into the dirt a few feet in front of the girl and walked away cackling with his cohort.

Gaara just stood there for a while, then turned his attention to the girl. He couldn't see her very well, but she began to sob as she grabbed the half loaf of bread, wiping away tears in the process. Despite how far away she was, he could instantly tell she had taken quite a beating. Her cries brought Gaara back to his past, where he was just a small boy, trying to make friends. No one would come near him and they called him "monster" and "freak." Anger boiled inside of him and he jumped into view of the two retreating men, exposing himself to the crisp, blue moonlight.

The two men had been laughing and playfully punching each other, yet they instantly froze when they noticed Gaara suddenly appear in front of them. His arms were folded with a calm expression on his face, yet it was a dangerous calm that almost sent them to their knees.

"It—it's Gaara!"

"Please," his friend begged, sweat starting to form on his brow. "Please, don't kill us. We're—"

"Don't worry," Gaara began calmly. "You're not worth the effort." He held out his hands, fingers extended and sand began crawling up their legs in the form of a long arm. His victims were too frightened to speak or move; they could only watch. When it came halfway up their body, Gaara threw his opened hands off the right, forcing his sand to violently hurl them into a wall where they fell unconscious to the ground.

Although it was tempting, Gaara wasn't about to kill them. He didn't want another unnecessary death on his hands—or sand. He was trying to change. Anyway, he wanted to earn his fellow villagers' respect, as well as become Kazekage someday and then possibly be seen as more than a monster and the Sand Village's Ultimate Weapon in their eyes. This ambition was partially influenced by Naruto's determination to earn respect and recognition as Hokage.

He might as well start with that poor beggar girl. A sense of protection swept over him, one that he had never experienced before. Those men had brutally abused her, and now it was his duty to help her recover from her injuries, because apparently, she had no one.

* * *

**_"So, again, PLEASE R&R! Believe me, there will be more dialogue in the next chapter, I have to set the story. It will also get some humor and get more interesting."_**

**EDIT: Yuck! I sound like a hyperactive and crazed fangirl. Ignore the above comment. **

***Do you remember those people? Yeah, it's from the horribly written filler episode arcs but I felt it was one of the better ones. It dealt with Gaara for one thing! Though it did give us Matsuri. Ewww.**


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Situated

**A HUGE thank you to **Fire Rogue Shinobi**, who was the only one to respond! It means a lot. **

* * *

Hanshara brushed off numerous grains of sand from the bread viciously before devouring it as fast as she could, as if someone was going to steal it from her immediately. After four bites she instantly regretted it. Not being used to eating so much, eating fast like that was dangerous. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, then licked her salty tears that had trickled down her dirty face. Living in a desert meant finding water to drink was harder than finding food. From her many years of experience, she found it best to use every available resource.

As she tore off another chunk of bread, she heard one of her abusers plead, "Please—please don't kill us!" At that her whole body tensed and her eyes widened in astonishment and absolute fear.

_Who is here that could make those men so afraid? Who could kill them?_ Instinct told her to run, but she was trapped. She couldn't climb the walls and it was doubtful she would be able to escape unnoticed. The best option would be to wait and pray that whoever it was didn't come into the alley.

Then she overheard a strange voice say, "Don't worry. You're not worth the effort." It was deep and raspy, somehow not quite human. Her previous anxiety was clouded by curiosity and Hanshara perked her ears to find out what happened next.

It was silent for a while, but then there were two fast thuds against something hard. While her mind attempted to apprehend the possible scenarios that would produce those sounds, Hanshara detected very faint footsteps coming closer. That startled her, because by living on the streets for so long, she was able to accurately predict the movements of any creature that walked upon the sand. These footsteps however, were so faint and soft she almost missed them.

It was if the sand itself was walking towards her.

Suddenly a silhouette came into view. It was a very strange outline, as if the person had an extra body resting across their torso, but when the person stepped into the moonlight she understood that it was a gourd slung across his back.

Immediately following the gourd, the first thing Hanshara noticed were the stranger's eyes. They were different than normal, a silver metal color in the moonlight, and were encircled about with black markings, similar to a person who had missed a couple nights sleep. The eyes were rather emotionless, yet there was also a hint of genuine concern and something else she couldn't recognize.

His hair was crimson red, and there was a symbol tattooed on the left side of his forehead, although wisps of hair were in the way so she could not properly read it. He seemed oddly familiar, yet she was positive he had been described to her, and not seen before.

"Are you all right?" the boy asked. Hanshara suddenly recalled who he was. This boy was Gaara, the Sand Village's Ultimate Weapon! She had overheard people tell about how he went around ruthlessly killing people who made him angry and that he was a monster. She started to back up in fear, but then noticed that he seemed sincerely concerned for her well being. He even seemed shy.

Realizing that she was crumpled on the floor, gaping up at him, Hanshara hastily nodded her head yes and stood up. Red blinding pain exploded all over her body, particularly her left leg and shoulder where one of the man's rings had slashed through her skin when he attacked. Unconsciousness invaded her mind and the last thing she remembered feeling were two strong arms catching her in mid-fall.

* * *

Gaara had walked into the alleyway, finding the girl gaping up at him with bewilderment and confusion. It was a relief it wasn't fear, which surprised him, given that his red hair and mark were dead giveaways to anyone in the village. Even small infants seemed to cower in his presence.

The girl in front of him had piercing green eyes that were still glistening with tears, and her hair looked black, although it was hard to say for sure due to the poor lighting. Her soiled face had a random assortment of bruises, scratches, and tear stains.

Wanting to break the silence, he asked, "Are you all right?" A flury of expressions flashed on her face before she nodded and tried to stand up. She gasped in pain and alarm, at which point Gaara immediately stepped forward and caught her before she fell to the floor. Gaara's eyes widened as he realized how light she was; how she was nothing but skin and bones. With his strength he worried about harming her further. It astonished him that a person so frail was able to sustain such an attack. She was also adorned with mere rags that looked to be a tan shirt one size too large and small shorts that gave no obvious warmth.

Consumed by a strong sense of alarm and urgency, Gaara commenced picking her up and immediately sprinted from building to building towards his house. Yes, she needed a hospital, but there was no way he could enter a hospital by himself; they'd only assume he was responsible. No, he needed to have Kankuro and Temari accompany him.

* * *

Temari yawned lazily. It was time for her to go to sleep. She had just finished writing up reports on how her students performed over the course of this month. Personally, she was impressed with all their improvements. They had really come a long way from the first day of training, when all they cared about was trying out the various assorted weapons that were on the table.

All Gaara could do was sit on the wall overlooking the training ground and observe. Each day she vainly prayed that some students would actually want Gaara as a sensei and leave her and Kankuro, because there were a lot of children she had to supervise. It was a _lot_ of work keeping them focused on the task at hand.

As soon as she shut her eyes and discovered a comfortable position on her bed, there was a furious knocking on the door. Groaning, she yelled that she was coming, and silently cursed Kankuro. No doubt he had a question about filling out the paperwork. It was annoying being the eldest at times.

"What is it, Kankuro?" she yelled as she opened the door. "You better not—"

Temari gasped. It wasn't Kankuro who was at her door. It was Gaara. He had a beaten up girl in his arms that looked not too far from death. What startled her was the shadow of fear and alarm in Gaara's eyes, like he wasn't in control. It was so different from his usual noncommittal expression that she was unable to staunch the fear that threatened to overcome her.

His rare emotion reminded Temari of a point in her childhood when she and her brothers were all very young, before Gaara had drawn the kanji on his forehead.

* * *

It was a sunny day, and they had been allowed to be outside together. At that time Temari and Kankuro didn't fully understand what Gaara was. They weren't allowed to see him that much and he only visited a couple times a month. It puzzled her why Gaara was shut away with Yashamaru, because he was so adorable and sweet. When together, all he did was work hard to earn their friendship and please them. He would come to their house with his arms full of presents he had made for them, which mainly consisted of fingerpainted drawings of them as a family.

When she had asked Baki why he was kept from them, he simply told her that Gaara had amazing abilities with sand, and that he had to be kept under close supervision so he didn't hurt himself. It sounded reasonable enough, so she let it pass.

On that day Temari was tossing a ball back and forth with Gaara. Kankuro had been with them, but he quickly got bored and started playing with his puppets, trying to use chakra like puppet masters did.

"Good throw, Gaara!" she praised energetically. His face instantly lit up and he became even more excited.

"Throw it! Throw it! Throw it, Temee!" Temari didn't know why he called her Temee; he could easily say her full name, but it didn't bother her. The name made her really happy whenever Gaara said it.

Temari gripped the purple ball and threw it high over his head, causing him to shriek happily and sprint after it. He seemed to enjoy running after it and then tease her about her poor throwing skills later.

He soon came running back, sobbing and cradling something in his arms.

"What is it?" Temari asked concernedly. She hated to hear kids cry. It made her hair stand on end.

Gaara wouldn't speak. He simply held out what he was holding for her to examine. It was a dead mouse, plain and brown, yet the neck was undoubtedly broken. She flinched inwardly as she realized the cause of it.

"Guess I shouldn't have thrown so hard," she chuckled weakly. Gaara wouldn't be distracted, however. He stared at her with such anguish and remorse Temari declared a funeral was in order. Who could withstand those beautiful teal eyes?

A couple minutes later they were solemnly standing in front of a shallow grave easily made by Gaara, with Kankuro besides them as well. His arms were folded angrily as he pouted.

"Why are we having a funeral for a stupid mouse?" he complained out loud.

Temari whacked him upside the head. "'Cause Gaara wants it. Besides," she taunted with a malicious grin on her face, "I seem to remember having to sit through a number of funerals for your _puppets_ that 'died' in the battles you had."

At that Kankuro growled but remained silent and didn't complain.

* * *

She hadn't seen that look in his eyes since, because shortly after that they discovered their own father ordered Yashamaru to kill Gaara. After that, he was in their care with help from Baki.

Gaara had completely changed, not caring about anyone and hated everything. They had all tried to coerce him back to his regular self—even Kankuro was nice to him—but it was to no avail. That sweet little boy was lost.

Temari focused her attention to the present.

"Let's wake Kankuro and go right to the hospital."

Gaara nodded frantically and sped off to the right towards Kankuro's room, with Temari close behind.

* * *

The nurse on duty at the desk was completely surprised by their entrance, and peered suspiciously at Gaara while directing the group on where to take the patient, yet Gaara was too focused on getting the girl medical aid to notice. Temari and Kankurou had to lightly tug on his shoulders once the medical ninjas hurried her away on a gurney.

Gaara took a seat in one of the chairs while his siblings stood in silence for a few minutes in the waiting room.

"How did you find her?" Kankuro asked eventually, to break the silence.

Gaara didn't respond right away, but explained, "I found her crying in an alley, and when I asked her if she was okay she fainted. She had stolen some bread and the owners attacked her, leaving her there to die."

The older siblings glanced at each other warily. _Did he . . ._

Fully aware of what they suspected, Gaara sighed, "No, I didn't. I just knocked them unconscious."

Slightly appeased, Kankuro yawned loudly. "Well, I'm going to bed. I—"

"Yeah, yeah. We all know you need your 'beauty rest'," Temari teased. She glanced at Gaara unsure of what to do. She was _really _tired, but did Gaara need her here?

"It's all right. I'll be fine here. Go to sleep," he announced without even looking up.

Temari frowned. It was starting to get scary how well he was reading her. It was almost as if he could read minds.

"See you tomorrow. Hope she's okay," Temari said as she left.

Gaara gave a curt nod in return.

* * *

Gaara remained in that spot the whole night with his face rested against his interwoven fingers, staring off into space. The nurse on duty felt strained to the point of insanity, waiting for him to do something. She was terrified to move at the same time, as if her making any type of sound would provoke an attack from the young monster. _Wasn't he tired? Most people would have dozed off by now._

As he waited, Gaara contemplated on what to do. By rescuing her and taking her to Suna hospital, she was now his responsibility. What a strange feeling to have someone dependent on you! Is this how Temari, Kankurou, Baki, and Yashamaru had felt when he was unceremoniously thrown into their laps?

She would need new clothes, that much was certain. Temari could handle that. There was no way he'd follow her around and assist her in procuring a suitable outfit to her liking.

_Where would she live?_ He guessed they could give her enough money to buy a small apartment, and then find some paying job somewhere so she could keep living there.

_But what about until they found her an apartment? _Well, that's simple, she would stay with them. _Did they have an extra room?_ No, but she could room with Temari. He felt slightly guilty having to depend so much on Temari, but he was a guy. He was helpless in this situation.

Suddenly Gaara had a brilliant idea, but he was too afraid to believe it would work. _What would happen when she found out who he was? Would she hate him? Would she care? Would—_

The redhead stopped himself. What was he doing? Where had all that come from? Worrying about someone else other than himself and his siblings that much? It was certainly a puzzling situation. All he wanted to do was make sure the girl was safe yet he had been planning out how to take care of her to the point of—no, he was being unreasonable. Chances were she wouldn't want his help at all. And who was he kidding? Everyone feared him.

Yet, wasn't that how he was _supposed_ to feel? Concern for another living being? He mentally groaned in frustration. Life was so much simpler when all he cared about was himself.

Gaara became so engrossed in his thoughts he did not hear the timid nurse say his name repeatedly. Realizing he might be a monster that slept with his eyes open, the frustrated and reluctant nurse decided that she had to resort to tapping him awake. Aware of how dangerous this was, she lifted a trembling pale finger and ever so gently tapped his left shoulder, then pulled back as fast as she could as if she had touched a burning surface. Gaara whipped around to face her, startled, and then upon noticing all the color drained from her face, immediately glanced at the ground and muttered a feeble apology.

The nurse was taken back. This teenager didn't seem very dangerous at all. He was apologetic and shy, and he did stay there all night. She wondered how people could say he was a monster if he saved that girl's life.

"This way," she said somewhat bolder. He looked up at her, and his eyes looked so full of concern she gave him a small smile that seemed to alarm him. Realization struck as she determined people rarely, if ever, smiled at him. They were all too busy running away or calling him names. Feeling incredibly guilty, she flashed a sincere smile and led the way. _Maybe he wasn't so bad after all._

They finally reached the girl's room and she led him in. The patient was just waking up and the nurse observed her eyes light up when she noticed Gaara.

"You saved me," she stated groggily. Gaara stepped forward and stood on the right side of her bed, seeming unsure of what to do.

"My name's Hanshara, but I already know yours. You're Gaara!" The nurse looked at Gaara in shock, who apparently felt the same.

"You . . . already know my name?" he asked, suddenly in control of his emotions. The nurse was able to tell Gaara wasn't incredulous of that fact she knew his name, but the fact that it didn't seem to matter to her. This was probably a good time for herself to leave.

"I'll leave you two, and she can leave tomorrow morning." The nurse waved goodbye, making sure to make eye contact with Gaara and gave him a big smile.

* * *

Hanshara woke up surrounded by a teal blue sky. _Am I dead?_ she wondered.

_Beep. _

_Beep._

_Beep._

No, she wasn't. With a grunt she forced her tired muscles to get her into an upright position. She was lying on a bed with sheets a lighter shade than the walls, and there was a tube coming out of her left arm. The tube was connected to a bag full of liquid above her head, which she decided it was probably best to let it be, however unnerving it was.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"

Hanshara turned her attention to the right side of the room. There was a young man donned in maroon robes and a tan head-shawl who was sitting on a chair.

"It's amazing you survived! Your body had been so devoid of blood sugar it wasn't able to combat the bruising. We have you hooked up with some fluids to keep your blood sugar at an appropriate level, but you'll need to eat something soon. I'll get you something!" He jumped up and then energetically burst out of the room.

The medic was surprisingly young, not much older than her, and he said all this rather fast, as if he was ready to talk anyone's ear off about medical terminology that was unlucky enough to be caught in his presence.

As the door shut Hanshara watched as he practically skipped towards a woman sitting at a desk, staring very intently at something around the corner. The woman appeared rather afraid.

_I'm probably the first person he's ever had this much experience with,_ Hanshara thought._ Must be new on the job. _She sighed and laid herself back on the pillow.

As soon as she shut her eyes the door opened again, yet standing at the door was the nurse down the hall, and Gaara.

She studied his appearance now that they were in a place that was properly lightened. It was hard to imagine that he could be such a monster as everyone made him out to be. His vibrant hair and strange eyes stood out though, and he looked a little different than most humans.

"You saved me." Her voice was raspy and her throat itched from last night. Gaara carefully walked forward and stood at the side of her bed. After a few moments of silence she decided that if he wasn't up for introductions, she was.

"My name's Hanshara, but I already know yours. You're Gaara!" Her two visitors gawked at her. _Did I say something wrong?_

After a few seconds Gaara blinked and his expression became unreadable. "You . . . already know my name?" he asked.

She nodded. _What is the big deal about knowing his name? Does he think I would run away from him like a frightened, weak animal?_

"I'll leave you two, and she can leave tomorrow morning," the nurse interrupted. Then she waved goodbye, mainly directing it at Gaara and gave him a big smile. _Well that nurse was nice to him. Why does everyone call him a monster?_

Aware that they were alone Gaara focused his attention on Hanshara and she noticed that he bit his lip for a split second, before remarking, "Well, I'll come back for you tomorrow morning and then we can see what happens from there. I have some business I need to complete with my siblings." With that Gaara exited the room a little faster than normal.

No sooner had he left did the door open once again but this time it was the hyperactive nurse. He carried a small tray in his hands with a relatively small amount of food, but to Hanshara it was a feast. All this food in one place, just for her!

She eagerly accepted it and began to eat, making sure to take it slowly this time.

* * *

Gaara bounded from house to house, doing his best to be concealed from the glaring eyes of the villagers down below. Upon reaching his house he pounced on the balcony and let himself in. Temari and Kankuro were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. When they noticed him they greeted him with concerned eyes that were eager for information on Hanshara.

"Temari, Kankuro?" he inquired hesitantly. "I was wondering . . ."


	4. Chapter 4: The Offer

The next morning the three sand siblings traveled to the Suna hospital to pick up their newfound friend. Temari had brought along some old clothes of hers for the girl to wear out of the hospital, yet they were surprisingly large on her.

"It's a wonder you haven't been blown away yet!" Temari teased. Then she announced happily to her brothers that she was taking Hanshara for a girl's day out, leaving them alone to entertain themselves until she got back. Hanshara appeared somewhat intimidated by Temari's loud demeanor, but she followed her all the same, waving to Gaara and Kankuro over her shoulder.

As Temari walked off with her new friend, Kankuro glanced at Gaara. He sincerely believed that if his little brother had not intervened, that girl would be dead by now. Bursting with pride for his brother being able to _save_ people and not kill them, he boldly suggested finding her an apartment to stay at and a job. Gaara simply nodded.

Temari was excited. Being the oldest of two boys, she was never really exposed to the "girly" things, and in fact she didn't care. She enjoyed doing activities and behaviors society normally attributed to boys, yet now maybe she could have a friend, a true friend other than her siblings.

The Kazekage not being the fatherly type, Temari spent all of her childhood providing for the family, looking after her siblings, and making sure Gaara was at least under some control. She still shivered at how terrifying he used to be (especially at the chuunin exams) and he was only twelve at the time! He was coming up on seventeen now, and if it weren't for that Naruto guy, in that state Gaara probably would have killed her and Kankuro by now.

So there was really no time to be spent on friends, not that anyone wanted to be her friend anyway. Who wanted to be associated in _any_ way with the village monster? Maybe she'd be able to hang out with this girl and get a break from her odd brothers every once in a while.

* * *

Gaara and Kankuro were waiting in their living room when Temari and Hanshara came back. They had just been sitting there, listening to the awkward silence; not knowing what to do or say. Kankuro knew however, that their friendship had drastically improved from what it was at the chuunin exams.

"_I never thought of you two as siblings. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."_

Kankurou would never forget that day. Up until then, he viewed his brother as something to be feared—an immature and selfish brat that just went around killing whatever he chose. He could never understand Temari's efforts to accept him as their brother. Kankuro had almost gotten to the point where he didn't care what happened to Gaara.

However, when he saw him there, bleeding and unable to move on the ground after fighting that Leaf Village shinobi, Naruto, Kankurou felt extremely protective and . . . _concerned_ for his brother, so he picked him up to carry home. Then Gaara said two words Kankuro would never forget; the two words that broke the walls between their nonexistent friendship:

"_I'm sorry."_

Still, it was difficult trying to figure out what to do with Gaara when he was alone with him. It's not like he could go play a game outside or talk about girls or other things brothers were supposed to do. Maybe they could get to that point someday.

"We had a great time!" Temari announced breathlessly as she threw various bags on the counter. At first Hanshara had been extremely quiet and shy, but as time dragged on she opened up and surprised Temari with how energetic and talkative she could be.

They had gotten her new clothes, gone somewhere to eat, and a bunch of other fun activities. Temari couldn't remember having this much fun with someone other than her two brothers for a long time. _Is this how sisters act?_ she found herself wondering. Although she had never admitted it, she would find herself at times wishing she had a sister, or at least a really good friend.

Hanshara grinned then turned to the brothers on the couch. "Hi Gaara! Hi Kankuro!"

Gaara examined Hanshara. She had a healthier tint to her and was beaming. She was adorned with an outfit similar to what he wore when he was younger, but the shirt was so long that it ended halfway between the hips and knees, and she used the Sand forehead protector as a belt of some sort, it wrapping around her slim waist. Her unkempt hair from before was cut short, with small bangs lightly resting across her forehead. She was beautiful.

He simply nodded in response and Kankurou grinned, pushing himself off the couch. "Hello." Then he walked over to the bags Temari had thrown on the counter and began poking through them.

"Got anything good?" Temari whacked him.

"Don't go touching things that aren't yours," she scolded. "I did get some dinner, because tonight will be special with Hanshara eating with us." Temari quickly noticed her brothers' looks of relief. She knew they didn't particularly like her cooking, which they had been very keen on letting her know on many occasions. Mainly Kankuro.

"Here, how about you take these things to my room?" Temari instructed as she handed most of the bags to Hanshara. She had gotten a few essentials for the girl for when she began living on her own, but tonight she would sleep with her in her room. "And Kankuro, you can show her where it is while I get dinner ready."

The two obediently carried out the orders. When they were upstairs Gaara calmly got up off the couch, walked over to Temari, and watched her make their meal.

"Well, go set up the table or something," she ordered. He may be Gaara, but she was still the oldest. "Oh, and I think it would be good to ask her tonight," she added encouragingly.

Gaara's eyes widened. _Oh yeah._ He had almost forgotten about that. Now that the opportunity had come, he was nervous. _What will she say?_ he wondered.

Dinner was relatively interesting, with Hanshara asking them question after question about what it was like to be a shinobi. Kankuro was busy bragging all about how great of a ninja he was, and Hanshara humored him, appearing incredibly fascinated by what he had to say. Gaara could tell she knew he was lying, but she sat there, mocking him with an exaggerated astonished expression.

"Wow, you must be quite the lady's man!" At this Kankuro smiled smugly and puffed out his chest.

"Well, I hate to brag, but—"

At this Temari couldn't hold back anymore. "Please! The last date he went on he tripped and spilled ramen all down the girl's shirt and _then_ she smacked him across the face before leaving!" The two girls roared in laughter while Kankuro's smile fell and he glared at Temari before returning to his meal. Gaara noticed that he was grinning slightly as he brought the food to his mouth.

Gaara was puzzled. His brother and sister fought all the time, hitting and teasing each other, yet they always seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was as if they were playing a game. A few months after they returned from Konoha, he had tried to join in himself, but that didn't necessarily work. His siblings had just looked at him fearfully and avoided him the rest of the day.

He cleared his throat. "Hanshara?" She turned and looked at him. It was the first thing she heard him say all night.

_Here goes._ "Would—would you like to be my apprentice?"

Hanshara stared at him vaguely. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Gaara groaned inwardly. He wished he could just get this over with.

"I have been instructed by the village elders to be a sensei for anyone wishing to become a shinobi, along with Temari and Kankuro. Do you want to become a kunoichi?"

The sand siblings anxiously held their breath as Hanshara answered.

"Well—"


	5. Chapter 5: What's so funny, Kankuro?

**EDIT: Man, I can't believe that I used to think that having chapters 4 and 5 made the chapter too long! Sorry that they're so short.**

* * *

"No, that's wrong. You're leaving yourself vulnerable to multiple attacks." Gaara was currently teaching Hanshara how to prepare herself for close combat. They had been training for a month now, and she had drastically improved. She had been a little timid at first, but now she was more confident and learned what he taught her at a quicker pace.

So far, Gaara had determined she was an excellent tracker and could move very stealthily. Still being a beginner, they hadn't begun work on her ninjutsu; right now they were focusing on her taijutsu because she needed to become stronger.

She had a much healthier figure now, and was readily accepted into their small family. She and Temari became close quickly, disappearing for hours at a time, but what surprised everyone the most was her prankster tendencies.

Gaara would never forget the morning when Kankuro came screaming downstairs with his hands glued to his face. Apparently, Hanshara had replaced his regular purple "war paint" with dyed glue. Once he had calmed down and laughed along with Temari and Hanshara, he solemnly decreed that he would get her back someday. Even Gaara had been tempted to laugh. She and Kankuro became close friends after that, each trying to out-joke the other, similar to his and Temari's relationship, but it was one that didn't involve pain, or (at least) not as much.

"Here, your stance should be like this." Gaara stepped forward and adjusted Hanshara's arms, and then instructed her on how to place her feet.

Gaara winced. There was that pain again. His stomach felt like someone was squeezing it into a knot and his breathing quickened slightly. Was Shukaku trying to get lose again? Or was he just toying with him, getting a little fun out of torturing Gaara? Because he hadn't sought for the blood of made up enemies anymore, the demon inside was definitely furious with him.

Hanshara noticed his grimace. "Are you all right, Gaara-sensei?"

"Yes, I—" There it was again. Gaara felt a rush of emotions, mainly excitement and fear climbing up his throat, threatening to come out, threatening to suffocate him.

"No, I'm not." Hanshara looked at him in surprise. _What was wrong with him?_

Noticing her concern, he shrugged it off and gained control of his facial expressions, becoming unreadable again. "I must be a little weary. Finish your drills and then you are free for the rest of the day. I need to rest." Without a second glance Gaara flew in the air and made his way towards his home. Maybe his siblings knew what to do.

The house was relatively quiet enough. Gaara opened the door but then his ears were ambushed by Temari's scream.

"KANKURO! How many times have I told you to watch where you put your puppet weapons!" Kankuro bolted upright from the couch in the living room, startled out of his nap. Some pieces of Kuroari that he had been working on fell of his lap and clattered onto the floor.

Temari appeared at the entrance to the kitchen a moment later, her right hand bleeding slightly and in her left one of Karasu's hand with the blade extended. What was truly scary was the death look on her face, aimed at Kankurou.

"I—I'm sorry, Te-Temari!" Kankurou stammered, putting his hands up in a protective and subservient position. "I'll put it away—"

"You're done for! You'd better be grateful this wasn't covered in poison!" Dropping Karasu's hand she sprinted towards Kankuro. Gaara sighed. _Why did they fight so much?_

"Stop." His sand lashed out and wrapped themselves tightly around Temari's legs who fought hard not to fall over. Once she regained her balance, she joined Kankuro in glancing at their younger brother fearfully. He hardly ever interfered with their bantering. Why was he doing it now?

Positive that she was finished, Gaara drew the sand off her, replaced it in his gourd, and then slumped into a chair. Puzzled by his odd behavior the older siblings forgot their argument and inched closer.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" Kankuro asked.

For a moment he didn't say anything, but then he lifted his head and said, "I think . . . I'm sick."

Of all the things they expected him to say, that was definitely not one of them. Gaara was never sick! Somehow Shukaku was able to keep him from bodily harm, external as well as internal. He had never been sick a day in his life.

_Is it because he hasn't killed anyone in a while?_ Kankuro wondered.

"What makes you say that?" Temari inquired.

"Just now," Gaara began as he stood up from the chair, "I was training with Hanshara, helping her with her combat stance, and then," he gripped his chest, "I could hardly breath. My chest burned, my face was hot, and I had difficulty breathing. It was just like when Shukaku tried to take over." He glanced at his siblings with fear. "What's happening to me?"

Temari tried to think. "Has this happened since the last time . . .?"

Gaara gazed at the floor. "Actually, it did once before. That was when I showed Hanshara how to accurately throw a kunai from a defensive position. I think Shukaku doesn't want me to train her."

His fellow siblings seemed to be a loss for words, but then Kankuro burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Gaara growled, clenching his fist.

Kankuro, however, was overcome with laughter and clutched his chest. After a few brief moments he managed to get a hold of himself, mainly due to the threatening pile of sand that started to rise behind Gaara in a menacing position. His younger brother was changed from what he used to be yes, but the sand still reacted to his emotions. In this case—anger.

"I'm sorry Gaara, but you're not sick at all!" Kankuro burst out laughing again, obviously pleased with his discovery.

"Would you say it already?" Temari ordered. What was so funny?

Kankuro took a few extra seconds to prepare himself.

* * *

**EDIT: I hope this isn't becoming too cliche. I _hate_ it when stories are like that, but I haven't read too many Gaara romance fics so I don't know. And yeah, not really a surprise what he's going to say. I think I was trying for some suspense.**


	6. Chapter 6: I failed

**Thanks to **Gaaragirl14, Akuno Hikari, **and **Gaara's Pyro RACOON** for their awesome reviews!**

* * *

"Gaara's not sick, he's in love!" Temari gasped, and then looked over at Gaara. There was no hiding it. He stood there, dumbfounded. _Did Gaara even know what that meant?_ His sand fell to the ground and he stood completely still, unable to move, and completely bewildered, both by Kankuro's accusation and behavior.

Considering the person in question was Gaara and with Kankuro's obnoxious laughter in the background, Temari couldn't control herself any longer and succumbed to laughter as well. It was just too funny! Gaara was in love and had no idea; he thought he was sick but he was falling in love with Hanshara.

_Why are they laughing at me?_ Instead of feeling sick—no, _in love_—Gaara's chest hurt, just like when people called him a monster and he felt so alone. _But that was when they yelled at me. Why am I feeling the same when they are laughing? Isn't laughing a happy emotion?_

Wanting to escape that terrible feeling Gaara turned around and exited the house. A few seconds after he left, Temari and Kankuro finished laughing.

"Where did he go?" Kankurou said.

"I—I think we hurt his feelings," Temari said. The two siblings stared at the ground in shame. Of course they did! Gaara didn't know what teasing was. All he knew was anger, hatred, and just recently, hope. He most likely misunderstood their laughter as something worse than it was. Would this destroy all they had accomplished so far?

"Come on, I bet I know where he is," Kankuro said quietly.

Gaara was sitting on the roof, gazing off into the distance. His fingers were interlocked and resting against his face, his elbows lightly resting on his knees. This was his comfortable position, the way he liked to sit and think.

"Why were you laughing?" he asked, not even bothering to look up. He sounded so hurt and confused.

"We . . . wanted to apologize," Temari said sheepishly. Gaara frowned and turned to face them.

"It's just, um," Kankuro didn't know how to explain it. "People laugh at the weirdest things. Not to be mean or anything, but it was funny because you mistook your feelings for being in love as being sick." Kankuro shrugged. "I guess it was funny how naive you were." Gaara stared at his hands. It wasn't his fault! He was the one cursed with the stupid raccoon demon. He apparently had a lot to learn about _normal_ people.

"Gaara, please don't take it this way," Temari pleaded. "You're our brother, and sometimes siblings do things they regret. We're sorry we made fun of you." She placed her hand on his shoulder in a loving way, fully expecting it to be slapped off, yet Gaara welcomed it. At least, he didn't get out of her reach.

"What do I do?" He glanced at them helplessly.

"Hmmmm." Kankuro stroked his chin. "I guess, for now you need to act like nothing's happening. Temari and I can observe silently and determine whether or not she likes you back, and then if she does," (he grinned mischievously) "then the real fun begins!"

The three siblings stayed on the rooftop for hours, explaining to Gaara all about anything they thought would help him. About what girls liked, how a guy should treat a girl, how to go on dates, what never to say to a girl. . . by nightfall, Gaara's head felt ready to burst.

"There's so much to know!" he complained, clutching his head. "What if I mess up?"

Kankuro sighed. "Then you do. There's no handbook or secret jutsu for things like this."

Temari grinned. "Come on boys, it's past dinner time. I'll make us something special."

Gaara and Kankuro glanced at each other apprehensively. _Special?_

Somewhat appeased, Gaara gave his brother and sister a shadow of a smile before masking his emotions yet again. "Let's eat."

* * *

A hours and a half later Gaara found himself on the rooftop again, minus his siblings. They were both sound asleep in their rooms. He made a noise dangerously close to a small chuckle. Despite the growing feeling of dread, he decided to bask in the love his older siblings displayed for him earlier. They were truly sorry for laughing.

And yet, he didn't blame them. Him—in love? The Hidden Sand Village monster, capable of love? Anyone would get a kick out of it. He sat there, going over the tips they gave him in his head. There was no way he was going to use any of them. If Hanshara got the tiniest inclination that he was—_in love_ with her, she'd probably laugh or run away in absolute fear. There was no way he would let that happen.

He would have to overcome these petty feelings. There was no room in his life for that. It just didn't seem acceptable either. No, he would continue his mission, to become Kazekage and win the respect of the people of this village. Getting entangled in those pitiful emotions would only mess things up.

"Gaara?" Startled, he turned around to see Hanshara standing behind him, clutching her arm and staring at the ground. _Why is she here? Does she suspect anything? Does she not want to be my apprentice anymore?_

"I—I just . . . wanted to see if you were feeling better," she paused, then bit her lip, "Am I disappointing you, Gaara-sensei?"

That question was not expected. Gaara was at a loss of what to say. "No, you've done nothing wrong. You've improved a lot," he stated monotonously.

Hanshara appeared relieved, and then slowly walked to the balcony and sat on his left, staring at the moon like he was earlier. Neither of them spoke for a couple minutes.

"Um, Gaara-sensei?" He turned to her and she looked at him with her beautiful green eyes. Gaara felt the feeling surface again, but he didn't show it, for fear of her being able to read his emotions.

"Yes?" he finally managed to say.

"Well," she looked away, focusing her attention on the city. Gaara's feelings went away slightly, and he focused his attention in the same direction. "I was wondering, what . . . how do you deal with not being able to sleep? What do you do?"

When Gaara continued to stare at the city and didn't speak she hastily added, "Not that it's any of my business, I-I just wanted to know. Sorry if I disturbed you, sensei." With that she bowed and began to walk away.

"Mostly think."

Hanshara turned back around. "Huh?"

Gaara didn't glance her way, but continued to explain. "Sometimes I read, sometimes I take walks, and sometimes I take a brief nap. I am able to sleep for a limited amount of time, just not very often," he admitted, "but most of the time I sit up here and think."

"What do you think about? Wouldn't that get boring after a while?" Hanshara said incredulously.

Gaara shrugged, still not wanting to make eye contract any longer than he had to. "I don't know how to explain it. I think about the day, some techniques I want to learn, and sometimes—" _Did he dare admit it? _

Hanshara waited patiently, give him the time he needed.

"Sometimes, on full moons mostly, I battle Shukaku. He tries to make me hurt others, by hurting me." Gaara knew he should stop. _Why am I telling her this?_ But now he couldn't stop. "He is angry with me, because I don't give him blood anymore. He is thirsty for blood, and full moons are the worst.

"He wants to be free, he wants me to kill for him. But I won't let him anymore. It's easier to suppress him during the day, when there are others around." He gestured towards the moon with his eyes. "But night is different, especially on full moons."

Deciding that was quite enough, Gaara sighed and looked at his hands. These hands used to commit countless murders of innocent people, all because he wasn't strong enough. All because he was too weak to withstand Shukaku's will. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and grit his teeth. Things were different now. Harder, but different. Being in pain from battling the demon was worth the sense of control he had acquired.

Hanshara was at a loss for words. Gaara seemed to be so lonely, so full of pain! Here he was, night after night, fighting a demon inside of him to protect the village, and all they could do was blame and ridicule him. What did they know anyway? She dug her nails into the palm of her hand.

She decided then and there that she would become a great kunoichi—a jounin—to prove to everyone that Gaara was a superior shinobi and that he was an amazing teacher, so they could all respect him and see him for the true person that he was.

"I see," she finally said with a grin. "I will see you tomorrow, sensei!" Then she disappeared.

Gaara opened his eyes, and breathed a small sigh of relief. It went better than he expected. She didn't seem to notice anything.

Good.

* * *

For the next month, everything was relatively routine; there weren't any long missions the three Sand ninja had to attend to. However, during this time, Gaara and Hanshara barely talked to each other besides the necessary pieces of conversation during their training.

Gaara was intently focusing on getting rid of any feelings he harbored towards Hanshara that were anything other than ordinary. First of all, he figured, they were sensei and student. Even though they were a year apart in age, a relationship would be looked down upon. Second, there was no way she could love him back. Temari and Kankuro had offered to observe, see if she felt the same way. Gaara refused. Whether it was because he was afraid she didn't, or more afraid she did, he couldn't tell.

Whenever Temari and Kankuro invited her over for dinner, Gaara always found an excuse to be absent. He was avoiding her.

During their training, Hanshara had become increasingly silent, focusing all her energy on performing the tasks Gaara set for her each day. He was amazed at her progress, yet all he could do was nod his acknowledgement. He figured her silence was due to her concentration, but when he explained this to his siblings when they asked about how Hanshara was doing, they simply shook their heads in annoyance.

She had become quite skilled at taijutsu, her body becoming stronger and level of stamina improving. Gaara could sense her chakra increasing daily. Soon he would be instructing her on how to do the basics with chakra control and perform simple tasks like cloning herself and transforming into another person. He would have done this sooner, but because she was so weak and hadn't attended a training academy, they had to take it in smaller steps.

On one training session they trained at night, because Gaara wanted her to be able to perform her taijutsu with limited visibility. She was doing fairly well, until he swung a fist at her that he thought she could have easily avoided, yet didn't. Hanshara slid a few feet in the sand from the impact, massaging her cheekbone as she stood up.

Gaara apologized. "I'll go easier on you."

Hanshara hung her head, and then tried again. Gaara noticed her movements weren't as powerful and calculated as they were before, and she wasn't meeting his eyes. Her chest began rising in irregular patterns and her breathing was rigid.

Out of pure instinct Gaara deflected a blow to his head and used his hands to spin around on the ground, then collided with her feet and sent her flying onto her back. At the last second he had been able to soften his blow as much as possible though. She just lay there on her back, staring at the sky as her breathing became more rapid.

Gaara began to be concerned. _I didn't hurt her that much, did I?_

Hanshara stood up slowly and tears flowed down her face. "I am sorry, Gaara-sensei. I am not as strong as you would want me to be. I have been trying to please you, but apparently I have failed. I couldn't live up to your expectations," she cried. "Please, I resign as your student, and I will let you be in peace. Thank you for all you have done for me, and I regret that I could not return the favor." With a last glance at Gaara, she turned around and began to leave the training area.

Gaara gaped at her. _How could she think he was mad at her? How could she think she was a disappointment? What had he done to make her think that way? _

As she got farther and farther away the terror of being alone and hated gripped his heart and threatened to suffocate him. He couldn't go on like this! He would rather die than feel this way anymore!

"Hanshara!" Gaara ran after her and grabbed her right arm.

"What?" She stopped and turned around to face him. Their faces were inches apart and she stared into his teal eyes in confusion. _What was he doing?_

"I—I . . . I—um . . . I-I . . . "


	7. Chapter 7: A family comes together

**Here are all the wonderful people who reviewed: **Fire Rogue Shinobi, Gaaragirl14 (2), Akuno Hikari (2), Gaara's Pyro RACCOON, CuteCButtons, the faceless master, seiyaferret, **and** Lily Uzimaki**! Thank you so much!**

* * *

"I—I . . . I—um . . . I-I . . . " Gaara couldn't think straight. His whole life, he had always had something to say, some retort to thrash at his victims. He was always in control, masking his emotions.

However, right now his mind was blank and all he could think was how stunning Hanshara was. How bright of a personality she had, how she could light up a room with her presence. How charming her voice sounded, how absolutely amazing she was. How much he missed her. She was so close he could smell the faint flowery scent of her shampoo, could see the small freckles on her nose, and it was killing him. He wanted to soak up her entire being and his body ached to be near her.

Without warning, Gaara slowly found himself inching closer and closer to her face. His eyes involuntarily closed—and he kissed her.

For a second they just stood there, each dumbfounded by what was happening. Slowly they pulled away and Hanshara gazed at him with her eyes slightly unfocused. Then she flashed him the warmest smile the Jinchuuriki had ever seen on a human being before. She placed her left hand on his cheek and stroked it softly before returning the kiss.

This time Gaara's senses were on fire. He felt surprisingly giddy, and happier than he had ever been in his life. Acting purely on instinct he let go of her right arm and placed his hand behind her head, his right hand on her back.

A little later they broke off from the kiss. It hadn't been that long, since both were inexperienced and somewhat unsure of what to do exactly. Hanshara had a ridiculous grin on her face and Gaara thought she would burst with happiness. He, however, was completely stunned and had trouble standing up properly.

_Wha—what just happened?_ he asked himself groggily through his cloudy thoughts.

They both stood there, slightly panting and unable to think straight. Finally Hanshara shook her head and smoothed her hair back behind her ear and tried to gain control.

"Um, I—I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Gaara," she announced. She flashed him another huge smile before quickly disappearing.

Somehow, Gaara's legs brought him to his house where he sat down on the couch and stared off into space, an odd smile pasted on his face. _What was this . . . this strange feeling?_

Temari and Kankuro then chose that moment to burst into the house, having just returned from picking up groceries. They preferred shopping at night, where fewer villagers were around because the fearful glances and hushed voices that usually accompanied said trips drove them crazy. Kankuro ignored his little brother, eager to put the groceries he carried away so he could enjoy a bedtime snack, whereas Temari searched for her brother to say hello.

She froze when she looked at him, and then let out a loud shriek.

"Kankuro! Something's happened to Gaara!" She ran over to him and waved her hands in front of his face, trying to draw him out of his daydream. That . . . that _smile_ he wore was scaring her. Gaara never smiled like that!

Kankuro was halfway in the process of popping a few treats in his mouth when he froze as he noticed Gaara. _What was going on? Why did he look like that?_

Temari was unable to snap Gaara out of his daze, so Kankuro fearfully slapped him lightly across the face. That did it. Gaara blinked absentmindedly and examined his siblings' fearful expressions with a confused and dazed look on his face.

"Huh?" was all he could say.

"He must be under some genjutsu," Temari determined, scanning the room for an unseen enemy.

"I can snap him out of it," Kankuro offered with his hand raised, pleased at this rare opportunity.

Gaara grabbed the arm quicker than his brother could follow. "I'm fine," he hissed. With his expression being one they were more familiar with, Temari and Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did something happen, Gaara?" Temari inquired. She was adamant about discovering the cause of her brother's peculiar behavior.

Gaara's mind couldn't formulate the correct words. "I . . . Hanshara she . . . we were practicing . . . she fell . . . crying . . . walked away . . . couldn't let her go—and I . . . " Still amazed at what he did Gaara couldn't explain what happened. He held up his hands in defeat. Then, remembering what transpired, the idiotic smile crept onto his face again.

Kankuro and Temari began to fear their brother had finally snapped.

"Resisting Shukaku apparently wasn't a good idea," Kankuro whispered silently to Temari. "It looks like he cracked."

"Do . . . do you think he killed her?" Temari was more scared than she could remember. It was obvious Gaara cared for Hanshara, but did Shukaku break loose and destroy one of the few things he cared about as punishment?

"NO!" Gaara yelled impatiently. He took a deep breath. "_Ikissedher_," he admitted quietly.

"What?!" Temari and Kankuro gasped in unison. _Had they heard that right?_

"Did you just say . . . yo—you kissed her?" Kankuro asked incredulously.

Gaara gave an embarrassed nod and said meekly, "I think she kissed back."

Kankuro just stared at his brother in disbelief, then let out a whooping yell. "HA! I knew it!" He looked like had pulled the ultimate prank.

Temari whacked him hard. "You did not, baka!" She was attempting to grasp the situation, by acting like her normal self. Finally she relented to the madness, and flashed Gaara a wide grin. Kankuro was already at his little brother's side and put his arm around him, messing up his hair with a free hand. "Didn't know you were such the lady's man!" he teased.

If it were any other time, Gaara would have knocked Kankuro across the room for touching him, but at the moment he was so confused by his exploded feelings of puberty that he relished in the brotherly contact.

When Gaara was finally set free, Temari stepped forward cautiously and hugged him. She couldn't believe he kissed Hanshara! It was then she realized how young her brother really was. Because of his horrible childhood and unwanted burden, Gaara had been forced to mature faster than most, becoming more of a adult that most of the shinobi leaders before the age of ten. However, it was apparent that there were certain irrevocable laws of nature even a Jinchuuriki couldn't avoid.

Their food forgotten, the siblings sat on their couch together, listening intently to Gaara's story and then advice and long winded experiences of dating from Kankuro. The two oldest fell asleep on the couch eventually, while Gaara sat there, consumed in his thoughts about Hanshara. For the first time since he could remember, Gaara felt almost normal. Here he was, chatting with Temari and Kankuro like little kids, not worrying about any missions, or any assassins that could attack at any minute—just enjoying his life.

Careful not to wake them, Gaara silently retreated from the couch and walked into the kitchen for some water. As he reached the counter his head exploded in pain and he grabbed his scalp, tugging at his crimson hair for all he was worth.

The demon inside of him was stirring, using a lot of power to try and become free. Apparently all these happy feelings were unsuitable to Shukaku. Gaara swore silently as he fought to suppress the pain. The pain was so intense it sent him to his knees and his energy was quickly draining to defeat the demon inside. Shukaku had never been this harsh with him before! Gaara screamed in agony as his thoughts slowly became one with Shukaku.

_**How dare you defy me! You will suffer for that!**_

_STOP! I'm sorry, this won't happen—AAAAHHHHHH!_

_**It's pointless! You don't have any chakra left. We shall destroy this village, what help have they been to you? They—**_

—_don't care about me. _

_**No matter what you do, they'll always—**_

—_think I'm a monster. No matter what I do, they'll never accept me! They—_

—_**should be punished!**_

_**WE MUST KILL THEM A—**_

"Gaara!" A quiet voice permeated the thick fog of his thoughts. "Gaara!" it repeated. Faintly aware of who he was, Gaara forced one eye open.

The view was hazy, but he thought he could make out Temari and Kankuro's faces in front of him. Concern was written all over their face and upon seeing him look at them, they repeated, "Gaara!"

_**STOP!**_

Gaara screamed as a new jolt of pain swept over him. At his cry, Temari and Kankuro each placed a firm grip on his shoulders and whispered words of encouragement in an effort to link themselves in his pain.

"Don't worry, we're here."

* * *

Hanshara practically skipped through the air as she made her way towards her apartment. _Gaara had kissed her!_ She couldn't ever remember being this happy in her life before! Those last few months had been torture, with Gaara not even noticing her existence, always disappearing when he wasn't absolutely required to be with her, always finding some excuse!

_Oh well,_ she thought to herself as she unlocked the door to her apartment, _that doesn't matter now!_

Upon entering, she took a look around her humble surroundings. It wasn't much, but compared to what she used to have, it was plenty. Coupled with Gaara's training and her job as a janitor at a local store down the road, she didn't have much extra time, yet she still made an effort to make her home suitable to her liking.

It was basically one room, with her bed at the far end, a table for four, some basic kitchen appliances like a sink and refrigerator, and then a small room for bathing and such. To make it homier, she hung a maroon blanket with a gold Sand symbol on the wall next to the table, and purchased a small three-drawer dresser half her height that she placed next to her bed. On it were her extra weapons, a brush, and a picture frame.

There wasn't any picture in it yet; Temari had bought it for her when they first met and assured her that after her first mission _(real _mission—D-rank didn't count) Temari would force her brothers to take a group photo with her. Hanshara figured that this was Temari's idea of an incentive to work hard. However, incentive or not, she was motivated to always do her best. Gaara had saved her life and she had sworn a vow to never disappoint him, as well as maybe someday repay him for what he'd done.

That was why she had been so hurt when he appeared to not care about her anymore. She had felt Gaara was displeased with her efforts, and would discourage her from ever hoping of becoming a ninja. She had heard the stories—of how old Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were when they became shinobi, how children began training at the age of five, and how some became chuunin at age twelve! She was sixteen, and _barely_ learning how to control chakra. How could she ever hope to be a kunoichi?

She fingered her necklace nervously. It was another present Temari had purchased for her, a simple necklace that had a single pendant; a silver kanji for hope. Temari had explained that because she was given a new life now that she had hope for a better future. Hanshara had taken what she said to heart and never took off the necklace, as a testament to the great fortune which had befallen her.

Her thoughts then drifted to Gaara and she giggled in spite of herself, fell on her bed, and stared at the stars that were visible through the tiny window that lay to her left. Ever since she met Gaara, she had always thought he was attractive and the most wonderful person she had ever met in her life. His vibrant hair, his beautiful eyes, his muscular figure, the way he would always stand with his arms folded, examining the world with inquisitive eyes, and the way he seemed so awkward around other people.

Everyone she had ever talked to was afraid of him, as if he were some monster bent on devouring anything that stood in his way. She knew that to be wrong. Hanshara could tell that Gaara was concerned about others and interested in how other people reacted, similar to a child. Whenever she would wrestle with Kankuro over some prank either one had pulled on the other, or when she laughed along with Temari she could always see Gaara observing them out of the corner of her eye; trying to understand, trying to fit in.

He did a good job of hiding it, and most would be unable to detect it, but because she actually searched for it and did not cloud her impression of him with false rumors and lies, it was incredibly apparent to her. Despite the fact that he was the most dangerous and powerful person she knew, Gaara was just a little kid, hungry for information and socially innocent about how others lived.

Hanshara heaved herself off her bed and walked over to her bathroom, washing her face from the tears and dirt. Once she dried off, she examined herself in the tiny mirror.

Staring back at her was a thin, tan, black-haired girl with emerald green eyes. She was plain in all respects, except for a jagged scar that ran diagonally across her chest. It was from an almost fatal incident that occurred when she was five, on the worst day of her life. However, since no one could see it there was no reason to worry about it—or that time.

She turned and examined herself from different angles, wondering what the most powerful person in Suna saw in her. She didn't feel special in any way, nothing made her stand out in a crowd; all the people she had met before called her a filthy rat.

What did Gaara see in her?

Hanshara exited the bathroom in frustration and flopped on her bed, slowly succumbing to the fantasies in her mind.

* * *

For the next couple minutes they sat there, holding on to each other; trying to get through this ordeal. Gaara was kneeling with his hands over his head, fingernails digging into his scalp, trying to block the pain as beads of sweat rolled down his face. When it appeared to Shukaku that he wasn't going to win, he finally ceased the torment of his host. Almost depleted of chakra, Gaara fell over, only to be caught by his siblings. Wordlessly, they each carried him over the couch and laid him there.

Temari tucked him in with a blanket and dried her face, while Kankuro stood there, staring at his younger brother helplessly.

Gaara's agonizing screams reverberated in their skulls, erasing all hopes of sleeping and would inevitably haunt their dreams. They had been used to his strugglings with Shukaku but it had always been a dull moan, never a shriek like they had just witnessed. It reminded them too much of a little child being tormented to death; a sound that eats at the spirit of even the strongest shinobi.

When they heard Gaara's breathing become regular and controlled, they let out a sigh of relief. Each turned to the other, thinking the same question, _Why were we never there for him before?_ Gaara had always been fighting the demon inside him, trying to overpower him, and what had they done? Nothing. All they ever did was watch in fear, fearing for their own lives without any thought for him. _What kind of siblings were they?_

Not having an answer to either of those questions, Temari and Kankuro took a seat on one of the chairs in their living room. They unanimously decided that they would keep watch over their brother, because even though he was unconscious and Gaara appeared to have won, Shukaku might still try to take over.

From now on, they silently vowed to be there for Gaara when he wrestled with the demon, to do what a true family would do; to be there for each other. That demon affected them all, and their little brother needed them.

* * *

**There has been a request to see the shinobi in action and I promise there is a very interesting mission coming up here. First we need to learn about Hanshara's jutsu, which will be in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8: Origins

**I'd like to thank **Lily Uzimaki, Fire Rogue Shinobi, Meira Evenstar, yumi-maki (4),** and **Dukect45** for their reviews! ****Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning was rather quiet and Temari and Kankuro awoke to Gaara making breakfast for them. It was only toast and semi-burnt porridge, but his siblings appreciated the offer anyway. The two oldest made a mental note to pick up a snack before they began their training.

When Gaara arrived at the training area, Hanshara was there waiting for him and doing target practice. Upon noticing him she gave him a weak smile and then tried her best to act normally and professionally towards him, much to his relief. He had no idea to do next. As he walked over, the tips and ideas Kankuro had given him previously were running through his mind, but his older brother never went over what to do if you suddenly kissed a girl after she was crying and thought that you hated her.

Their training wasn't as fluid or productive as it had usually been, but neither of them noticed, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

At the end of practice, Gaara replaced the stopper on his gourd and then turned to Hanshara, his heart slightly accelerating as he approached her. For some reason, Gaara thought to himself, Hanshara looked especially beautiful today. Her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle like glitter, her movements were exceptionally graceful, and her smile was entrancing. He found himself moving slower than usual because he just wanted to look at her.

Gaara gulped before speaking, "Hanshara? Would you like to come by for dinner later?" She straightened up quickly, smoothing out her shirt and glanced at Gaara quizzically.

He almost winced. After about a month of avoiding her, this seemed like a big step. Whenever he was over he would make sure to be absent, so the only company Hanshara had at his house were Temari and Kankuro. Should he have waited until later?

Hanshara just smiled. "Sure, I'll be over in an hour!"

Temari and Kankuro were alarmed at Gaara's announcement, but they just smiled and got prepared. The dinner was nice and it felt as if everything was finally back to normal. Gaara was even more talkative than usual.

As he walked Hanshara to the door, Temari nudged Kankuro and nodded her head in Gaara's direction with a large grin on her face. Kankuro returned the smile.

"'Bout time that idiot got his head screwed on right," he said simply.

* * *

"Gaara-sensei?"

Gaara turned around to face Hanshara. It was late in the day and they had been working on throwing kunai and hitting targets for the past hour with clones she had made of herself. He had just announced they should have a water break considering the scorching sun was just above them.

"Yes?"

She smiled mischievously, like a small child with a secret. "Can I show you a jutsu I've been working on?" Gaara nodded with a passive expression and his arms folded.

Hanshara grinned, shut her eyes, and clasped her hands in front of her with the index fingers extended. Gaara glanced down and noticed the faint blue lines of chakra gathering around her feet. She then released her hands with the fingers extended and pointed at the ground. After a few seconds she began rolling her hands in opposite directions, as if shaping a ball in between her hands.

Gaara stood there, puzzled as to what she was trying to accomplish, but then gasped when it succeeded. Grains of sand slowly separated themselves from the ground and joined together between Hanshara's rotating hands, forming a small ball of sand that grew increasingly with each passing second. When the conjured ball of sand was about the size of a head, she ceased turning her hands around in the air and threw them in Gaara's direction, altering the ball of sand into a cylindrical shape.

It was easily deflected by his absolute defense without his even lifting a finger, but her jutsu was still impressive. Gaara stared at her, eyes wide.

"H-how did you do that?" he asked.

Hanshara just shrugged as she panted. That had taken a lot of chakra.

"I . . . have been working on this . . . for a month," she explained. "When . . . you explained that people had their own certain jutsu, I tried to . . . find out mine," (Hanshara took a breath) "At first I thought about water, but I had no success. Then I tried wind, like your sister, but that didn't work either. Fire also didn't work, so I desperately attempted chakra strings puppet masters like Kankurou use, but that didn't work either." Hanshara glanced at the sandy earth.

"Then I got an idea that I knew probably wouldn't work, but I was eager to try something anyway, so I tried to do your jutsu—controlling sand. I tried to move a small pinch of it, and after a few minutes I was able to move it slightly before almost running out of chakra. Over this past month I've been practicing on my own after our practices and my job, and I have developed this!" She smiled awkwardly, unsure of how Gaara would react.

Gaara appeared to be thinking very hard.

"I—I know it's not as good as yours, and I won't be able to have the ultimate defense, but I was wondering if you would teach me some of the things you know?" Hanshara asked timidly. When Gaara didn't answer, she bit her lip and asked, "Is something wrong, Gaara-sensei?"

Gaara looked startled and then stared at Hanshara as if he were noticing her for the first time. "Wha—oh, nothing. I was just," he paused, consumed in his thoughts. "I have an idea, but we need to verify it. Come on."

With that he flew in the air, making his way towards his house, with his pupil not far behind, having no absolute idea what was going on.

Temari was near the kitchen, wiping off the exterior of her fan while Kankuro was busy eating a late snack.

"Temari?" Gaara inquired. She turned around and upon noticing him and Hanshara, she grinned.

"Hey! What's up? Done with training all ready?" He shook his head.

"Hanshara can control sand—like me."

Temari's mouth dropped and Kankuro stopped eating, the partially eaten onigiri halfway to his mouth.

"Really?" the siblings asked in unison. Hanshara nodded apprehensively, wondering if she should have never shown the jutsu to Gaara.

"Let's see an example," Temari suggested. It wasn't that she doubted them. It was that it was just so unheard of that she had to see it for herself. The group of four stepped outside as the sun was setting and gasped in amazement as Hanshara again performed the rare jutsu.

"What were your parent's names?" Gaara asked once Hanshara caught her breath.

"Why do you want to know?' she asked coldly, her face impassive.

"Just who are they?"

"Takuto and Kurenzai Yuki."

Gaara glanced at Temari who was beginning to understand what he was getting at. "Just a minute," she said before taking off.

About ten minutes later Temari returned, out of breath but very excited. Gaara, Kankuro, and Hanshara had come inside at this point, resting in the escape the cool house provided.

"It's just as you thought, Gaara!" she announced. "Hanshara is a descendent of the second Jinchuuriki!"

"What do you mean by that?" Hanshara was completely confused. _What was a Jinchuuriki?_

Nobody answered. Gaara stared at the floor intently with his arms folded, while Temari and Kankuro appeared to be distracted by something in the air. Their gaze shifted to Gaara nervously and then back to the air again.

Hanshara immediately understood. _So, Gaara is a . . . Jinchuuriki?_

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Gaara turned his attention to Hanshara. "Before me, our village has created two other monst—Jinchuuriki, in hopes of giving the village immense power. Each one succeeded, but only for a while, and the elders were forced to withdraw Shukaku—the demon—from the Jinchuuriki." Gaara inspected the floor again and said, "When Shukaku was taken . . . they immediately died."

Hanshara gasped, staring back and forth between the three sand siblings, and realization struck her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she walked over near the couch, gazing out the window. Her actions greatly confused the three siblings, who just stood there dumbfounded. Tears began to flow freely down Hanshara's face.

"So . . . now—now I understand," she said. "Because of who they were descended from, my parents could never find a job. No one would help us—no one would provide for us! No one wanted to help the family of a Jinchuuriki!" Hanshara dropped to the couch and buried her face in her arms as she sobbed quietly.

Gaara's eyes widened and he glanced at Temari and Kankuro. He held out his arms out in a helpless position, begging them for advice on what to do. They were taken aback by her actions, but nonetheless knew what to do. Kankuro quickly moved his hands frantically in her direction, motioning him to go over there. Gaara gave him a look that clearly said, _What—are you crazy?_

Kankuro faintly slapped his forehead in exasperation. _Did he have to hold his brother's hand in this?_ Then he walked over to Gaara and "lovingly" (as only a big brother could) began nudging him in her direction.

At first Gaara protested but then relented, realizing he wasn't going to win. After casting a furious glare at Kankuro, he hesitantly sat a few feet away from Hanshara. He stole another helpless glance back at his siblings, then slowly inched towards Hanshara.

_Why do women cry?_ he cursed silently. Feeling it was the appropriate thing to do, Gaara nervously put his right arm around Hanshara. The moment he made contact she swung into him and commenced sobbing on his shoulders. Gaara's entire body tensed and he felt like he was about to hyperventilate. He turned around once again to his siblings, begging for help. He couldn't stand this much physical contact, especially because she was soaking his sleeve with her tears. He didn't know the first thing about how to comfort people. Whenever he cried when he was younger, even when he revealed how his heart always hurt to Yashamaru, he was never physically consulted. He didn't know the first thing to do!

Temari and Kankuro had their mouths covered, trying not to laugh and evidently enjoying themselves at Gaara's expense. They then decided it was in their best interests to run when they were attacked with Gaara's glare. Kankuro waved to Gaara with an evil grin on his face before disappearing upstairs along with Temari who looked like she was about to burst with laughter.

Gaara cursed them silently and decided that later on they would be receiving some sort of nasty surprise that night when they were asleep. He then focused his attention on the leaking waterfall on his chest. He fully embraced her with his arms and rubbed back soothingly to try and calm her down. The Jinchuuriki had seen a mother do this to her child when he fell down and skinned his knee while playing. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

"What's wrong?" he asked when her sobs dwindled to sporadic hiccups.

Hanshara slowly lifted her face off Gaara's chest and looked into his eyes. He noticed they were red and puffy, and he wondered if it hurt one's eyes to cry. She sniffed and sat all the way up, yet stared at her hands in her lap. Not wanting to break contact, Gaara kept his right arm slung around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for crying like that," she said softly. She chuckled. "I guess everything I've been holding back just sort of—exploded at once." Hanshara sighed and wiped her eyes. "I never understood until now," she continued after a moment's pause. "Ever since I can remember I lived on the streets. My parents would try to train me in the alleyways where people wouldn't bother us, only it wasn't normal training. They would train me in stealth and tracking, so that I would be able to steal food at night and keep us alive.

"Since that was all I knew, it was peaceful, hiding in the shadows and sleeping, then waking up and scavenging for whatever food we could at night. On Christmas and my birthday, my parents managed to get me small toys. We had made a home of sorts, locking everything in a tattered box that we buried in the sand whenever we went away. "But then," (Hanshara paused as a new wave of tears began flowing down her face) "but then one night . . . wh—when I was five and came back with some food to share, they were killed." She covered her face and said between sobs, "They were killed, and had the word monsters carved onto their chest!"

Gaara eyes widened and pulled her closer to him in a tight embrace, not caring about his clothes anymore. Hanshara started sobbing louder now, eleven years of grief and sorrow finally breaking through the wall she had created long ago. It felt nice to be comforted and have someone else care about her troubles instead of wrinkle their nose in disgust.

As he sat there, Gaara reflected on what Hanshara had revealed. _So, she too was plagued by peoples' hatred of Shukaku._ He clenched his teeth.

How much pain had this demon caused? How could such an evil beast be residing in him? How could the Kazekage, his father, have done such a thing? Did this mean there was no possible way people would grow to accept and treat him with respect, because deep down, they knew what lurked in the depths of his being?

As Hanshara cried, she slowly traced her scar, drawn into the memory of when she had received it.

* * *

"_Mother! Father!" the young girl called out in the dark night. Most kids her age were scared to death of the dark, but not her. She basked in the moonlight, delighted in all the wonders that night brought. At this time she sprinted to the alley she had come to call "home" with a small bundle of stolen food, their meal. _

_She was rather proud of herself, having retrieved it without even being detected. Usually she would accompany her parents on these excursions, but as the sun was setting earlier that day, her father had ruffled her hair before smiling widely. "I think it's high time you search on your own, Emmy." Sometimes her father would call her Emmy, short for Emerald, because he said her eyes were the color of emeralds; his precious gem. _

_Emmy looked up at her father in surprise then giggled and wrapped her small arms around his starved waist. She had never felt so grown-up before! _

_Her father chuckled, staring at the beautiful sunset in front of them. He had short, sandy hair that would always sway with the wind, his hands coarse from various odd jobs that never lasted long, yet he always wore a smile that would get them through the long stretches of time they were unable to get food. Emmy had never seen anger or sorrow on his face before, just happiness and concern for her and her mother. _

"_Takuto, are you sure she's ready?" her mother asked as she sat down besides him. _

"_Of course, Yuki! She's my daughter after all—she's tough." To prove it, Emmy stood up to face her parents and flexed her muscles._

"_Grrrrr," she growled. Her parents laughed then moved aside so she could sit in between them. _

"_You know what?" her mother said as she brushed some of Emmy's hair behind her ear. "I think it's somebody's fifth birthday today!" At this Emmy's eyes lit up and she began bouncing up and down. Birthdays and Christmas were the only times she ever got anything special and her parents always made an effort for it to have a special meaning, even if it wasn't expensive. _

"_Calm down, Emmy," her father chuckled. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Your mother and I will go and search for a present while you go and get dinner, okay?" The little girl nodded vigorously before hugging both parents. The small family then waited patiently for the sun to completely disappear and most of the villagers to retire to their homes._

_It hadn't been as hard as she thought; because of her small size she was able to squeeze through some planks in a vendor booth and snatch some dumplings that had been stored for tomorrow. She stuffed them into a faded towel she found on the counter and ran through the streets, wondering if her parents were finished with finding her present. _

_When she was about a block away from the alleyway she called home there were some large figures standing in the moonlight. Emmy was about to avoid them, but when she saw what was lying down at their feet everything went cold. Before her was a scene that could never be erased. _

_Her parents were sprawled on the ground, face up with their shirts cut open, and kunai embedded in their chest. Looking further she noticed, glistening in the moonlight, was the word "monsters" slashed into their chest. Blood was slowly dripping from the wounds. _

_Tears welled in her eyes; Emmy could hardly move. Her whole frame shook and the wrapped dumplings falling to the ground, utterly forgotten. _

_A deep rumble of laughter brought her attention to three men standing behind her parents' bodies. One man stepped over her father and stopped a few feet in front of her, examining her for a moment. _

"_Are you, Emmy?" Too scared to speak, she slowly nodded. __The man grinned. He had a burly figure and long hair that fell onto his shoulders. In his right hand was a small sword, and he rested his left hand on his hip. _

"_These, uh, people over here," he gestured to the slain figures on the ground, "broke into my shop, and tried to get away with this." He held up a tiny necklace that had a pendant of the Sand Village symbol in the middle. Very plain, but nonetheless beautiful to Emmy. The man chuckled and threw the necklace in the air only to catch it one handed. _

"_I don't like thieves," he growled. "Anyway, when I cornered them, I asked the old man who it was for, and all he said was 'My Emmy' and tried to stand in front of his wife, but—" He simply gestured to their bodies again. _

"_Mother . . . Father," Emmy uttered softly, unable to process the information. The tears began to fall freely, staining the rags she wore as clothes. _

"_Besides," the man continued, "when I discovered who they were, I realized I did this whole village a favor—getting rid of some monsters." When Emmy stared at him in confusion the man sighed._

"_So you don't know the story, do you? Oh well." Then, quicker than her eyes could follow, he slashed her stomach in an upward motion, sending her sprawling to the ground, clutching her wound. It was so sudden that all she could do was gasp and moan as the blood leaked onto her clothes. _

"_Let that be a reminder to you. I don't want a child's death on my hand, so you better go before I change my mind." The man held the sword up menacingly, and when Emmy focused her attention on his cohorts they did the same, reflecting the moonlight off of their weapons. _

_The frightened girl staggered to her feet, then took one last glance at her parents before stumbling off in the opposite direction. She could hear the laughter of her parents' murderers behind her. _

_Emmy didn't know how long she ran or how far she went, but just stopped when she couldn't run anymore. She crawled into the shadows of a nearby alley and tended to her wound, wrapping herself in a cloth she stole off a clothing line. The cut wasn't too deep, but her parents had taught her to tend to any wound she received because it could become infected. Many people died on the streets from small cuts that went unattended. _

_When the bleeding stopped she drew her legs into herself and sobbed uncontrollably. Her father's dying words echoed in her mind, "My Emmy." _

_She winced, then cried out, "My name's not EMMY!" _

* * *

Gaara sat there on the couch the whole night, completely absorbed in his thoughts and didn't even notice Hanshara had fallen asleep in his arms. Only when he heard exaggerated noises upstairs did he snap out of it. Gaara cleared his head and dried his face with his sleeve before Temari and Kankuro loudly came downstairs. They were surprised to see them still on the couch, but then smiled when they saw Hanshara was asleep.

Their brother was staring at them impassively, but they both knew it was for show. Once upstairs they had heard all that Hanshara said, thought it was kind of hard _not to_ . Thankfully the noise had calmed down soon enough and they were able to go to sleep.

With a small smile Temari started making breakfast. Kankuro's mouth watered. He was starving!

* * *

Hanshara helped Temari put away the dishes when their meal was over while Gaara and Kankurou went upstairs to commence getting ready for the day.

"You can undress in my room and take a shower, if you'd like," Temari offered. Hanshara nodded and then quickly completed her task before sprinting upstairs.

_Gaara's probably already at the training post, and Kankuro is most likely putting on his "war paint",_ she giggled to herself, remembering the time she replaced his purple paint with glue. She would make sure he never lived that one down. It took _forever_ for them to de-glue him.

Hanshara walked towards the bathroom, dressed only in a towel she wrapped firmly around herself. She paused at the door and lifted her hand to knock; it was the polite thing to do. Before her hand made contact with the wood, the door opened.

Gaara stood there, dressed in only a white towel wrapped around his waist with his crimson hair damp and clinging to his forehead. Upon noticing Hanshara, his teal eyes widened farther than anyone had seen them before, and he seemed a little . . . afraid.

_Is his face pinker than usual?_ she wondered. However, she had little time to ponder the question more, because her eyes were immediately drawn to his chest, no matter how much she restrained herself.

Gaara's clothes hid how muscular he really was. Hanshara could even see that he had the outline of a six pack. Various water droplets from the shower made his chest glisten in the dim light of the small room, and she found herself holding her breath.

Gaara, on the other hand, had decided earlier to break tradition and shower that morning after breakfast, because his clothes had been drenched by his sobbing companion. He was rather cautious around water, due to the memory of how the Shitenshounin had almost defeated him, but today the warm, fresh water felt wonderful on his skin.

After hastily drying his body, Gaara wrapped the towel around his waist and walked towards the door. Hanshara was probably already at the training area, waiting for him.

Yet when he opened the door, he was greeted by a familiar face. Hanshara stood there with her right hand raised and the left holding up the white towel that wrapped around her slim body. It wasn't a long towel, but it still covered her sufficiently. He couldn't miss her long, slender legs and thin arms that showed her feminine muscles. Her rich skin radiated in the pale light that flowed into the hallway and her eyes seemed to glow.

Her cheeks suddenly were flushed while embarrassment and fear blended together to create an awkward emotion where he could tell she didn't know whether to apologize or be ashamed. As the silence wore on, his initial shock transformed into a feeling of self-consciousness and he began to feel very—_very_ awkward. Here was the girl he was beginning to have feelings for, standing in his house, barely dressed, while he was even less covered!

"Um . . . I-I . . . I—um," Hanshara stammered. Gaara tried to speak but words wouldn't come out. "I'm . . . very sorry, Gaara," she eventually said. Gaara nodded slowly, then walked out as fast as he could towards his room, which Hanshara scurried inside the bathroom, each taking a deep breath when they shut their doors. As Hanshara relished in the warm water and Gaara pulled his clothes on, there was a small smirk on each of their faces.

For the next week or so, Gaara and Hanshara's relationship grew stronger, yet all Hanshara did extra was join the siblings for dinner practically every other night. She was even beginning to buy groceries for Temari and join in the cooking, much to everyone's delight. She would; however, join Gaara for an occasional star gazing every once and a while.

Their main focus was on developing Hanshara's technique. Gaara would drill her for hours on end, teaching her how to use as little chakra as possible, as efficiently as possible, and taught her many of his moves. She worked so hard that one night, she fell asleep in the middle of dinner and spent the night on the couch under a nice, warm blanket. Needless to say, Gaara made sure to shower _before_ breakfast.

One morning, when the sand siblings had just begun to clean up after breakfast, Baki burst through their door.

"You have an urgent mission! Meet me at the entrance to the village in ten minutes!" As he turned around to exit the house, Gaara called out, "Can Hanshara accompany us?"

Baki rotated to face the siblings and frowned. "Has she been on a mission before?" he asked skeptically. Gaara opened his mouth to speak but Temari beat him to it.

"Not anything higher than D-rank, but she has discovered a _very_ useful jutsu and we believe she is ready for a mission. Besides, most likely she'll sit on the sidelines while we take care of it. She can gain some battlefield experience by observing."

Baki rubbed his neck. "It's border lining on a B-rank or A-rank mission." At the firm expressions by all three siblings however, he relented. "All right! Her safety is in your care, but just hurry!" They nodded and Baki quickly disappeared.

"Okay boys—hurry up, this mission is important! Gaara, you get ready the fastest, so hurry and tell Hanshara to get ready!" Kankuro nodded frantically while Gaara simply nodded, yet each became very determined. What kind of mission was it?

* * *

**Hmmmm, Hanshara's story ended up being longer than I thought. A**** big thank you to **Akuno Hikari**, for providing me with the names of Hanshara's parents.**

**EDIT: There was so much to fix in this chapter it was hard for me to get them all without completely rewriting it, so sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9: Guard Posts Besieged!

**Sorry for the late update, but I've been researching the jutsu of the sand siblings. I have spent countless hours on my computer watching all the episodes that the siblings fight in, taking notes of the names and what their jutsus do so I could make this the most amazing fight ever! Fight scenes are my favorite to write.**

**Please note that I have the Japanese words for the jutsu, because I think they sound better, and I do have the English translation in parentheses. However, for the ninjas that they are fighting (as well as Hanshara) I just have their jutsus in English, because I don't know Japanese. **

**Anyways, a big thank you to **Meira Evenstar, GaarasMyBoyzz, Eddi, IEatChicken, yumi**-**maki, Lily Uzimaki, jannyjan, krakengirl** (2), and **Carnivorous Panda** who reviewed! They always brighten my day!**

* * *

The four ninjas ran as fast as they could across the never ending landscape of sand. Less than ten minutes after Baki had informed the siblings they had a mission, they were gathered at the entrance to the village.

"_We have received reports that two of our guard posts have been completely destroyed. Those who kept guard at the southern-most post were able to send a warning before they were attacked, so you should go to that one and assess the damage caused, while searching for the ones responsible and any who survived. _

"_Our spies have not picked up any possibilities for attack from neighboring villages, but just the same, this could be an act of war. You must stop the attackers at all costs and it is essential that you discover whether or not the attackers are simply a rogue ninja squad or a village bent on war." He paused to make sure they all understood. Temari had a look of complete determination, Kankuro had a small excited grin, and Gaara was as impassive as ever with his arms folded. _

_The only one he worried about was Hanshara. She just stood there, taking in his instructions, and her gaze matched Gaara's, yet there was a shadow of fear and hesitation evident in her expression. However, he could also sense a desire to prove herself. True, she was Gaara's subordinate, but she had never been on a mission before and this one was especially critical to the village. A__s long as she was in the care of the late Kazekage's children though, she would be all right. Baki just hoped she didn't get in the way of the mission. _

"_Go."_

Hanshara tried her best to control the growing worry and anticipation that gnawed at her stomach. Her hands started to sweat, her breathing was short and ragged, and numerous doubts of her performance ran through her mind.

_What if I mess up? What if I get in the way of the mission? What if the mission fails because of me? What if someone dies because of me? What if—_

"Nervous much?" an amused voice asked from her right. Hanshara gasped in surprise. _She hadn't even noticed someone come up beside her! Great, she wasn't concentrating! What if she did that on the mission?_

"Hey, hey!" Temari chided. She had taken notice of how Hanshara's hands curl into an angry fist with a scowl on her face. "If you beat yourself up before the battle even begins, how are you gonna be able to fight?" Hanshara frowned and then sighed in frustration.

"I . . . guess I'm just scared of ruining the mission," she admitted quietly.

Temari laughed. "Don't worry, that's completely normal! Everybody feels that their first time around. Even Kankuro." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Yet don't mention it to him, he'll think it as an insult to his manhood—as if he _had_ any."

Hanshara had to giggle. Temari always knew how to make her feel better; she figured it was her way of dealing with things. Kankuro would just be stupid and clumsy on purpose to help lighten the mood, while Gaara . . . would stand there with his arms folded.

"There's nothing for you to be scared of," Temari assured her. "We've all been practicing together, so we have a good sense of each other's strengths and weaknesses; now all that's left is covering for each other during the battle and depending on each other. You've been training with Gaara to the point of exhaustion, so don't sell yourself short." Hanshara was pleased and grateful for the praise; it was just what she needed.

"Thanks, Temari." Hanshara fingered the sand pouches she wore around her hip. They were similar to a weapon pouch, only they were larger and she had one on each side. It was how Gaara decided that she would carry the sand she molded with her chakra around. Like his gourd, they were made of sand to use as extra should the need arise. They had decided against the gourd, because it was too much for her to handle without actually being a Jinchuuriki. Besides, she didn't think she could carry around something that big for such an extended period of time. _How did Gaara do it—_

"Temari! Hanshara! Off to your right!" Wary of an attack, the two kunoichi skidded in the sand in a battle stance. Their eyes widened in shock at the sight of the demolished guard post ahead of them. They were about a hundred feet away from the structure, but the damage was obviously noticeable.

Temari wondered if explosive tags were involved, but from the arrangement of rubble on the ground, that wasn't the answer. It was as if the rock itself exploded. She wondered in fear what kind of jutsu could cause rock to explode all on its own.

"It's one of the guard posts," Gaara stated. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "There are no survivors. This is not the one we were ordered to go to, so we must keep going." With some reluctance, the four ninja turned away and continued their journey.

They passed another post at the end of the day that looked the same and had no survivors, which began to worry them. _Didn't Baki say that two guard posts had been destroyed? _With the Southern post that made three. _How many other posts were ruined?_

When it came too dark to see, they settled down for the night while Gaara keeping watch. That was a bonus, because Gaara somehow had the energy to go on day after day without sleeping, which meant that Temari and Kankuro never had to keep watch. Before he changed, however, they would secretly alternate their own separate watch, just in case he lost control and went permanently insane. Now they had nothing to worry about.

They reached the Southern post about two days after they had set out, and had seen a total of three other guard posts that were ruined in a similar manner. One had been demolished in a slightly different way; it looked like it was covered in water at one point, but they had no extra time to investigate.

Fully aware that it was utterly useless to search for guards, they nevertheless obeyed their orders. They were to search for survivors, take a damage report, and take down the ones responsible while determining whether or not it was an act of war. What was unsettling was that they were less than 150 feet away from the desert's boundaries; they could see the beginning of the forest that led to Konoha in the distance. It was a perfect place to hide an ambush.

After a few minutes of inspecting the rubble, there was a disturbance of chakra in the air. Hundreds of kunai were thrown in their direction but Gaara's sand easily deflected it. When it was over they discovered that the objects were not kunai, but jagged ice daggers.

"Pretty good." A woman appeared from behind a semi-intact wall, smirking as she did so. Her hair was a silver blue and she wore a gray cloak with a navy jumpsuit and a turquoise sash around her middle.

"Ooooo, Akira, lookie here!" Another figure emerged from a stump of rubble to the woman's left. "We should consider ourselves honored to be visited _personally_ by the demon and his family."

"I don't care Hiro, they're still brats!" The man addressed as Hiro had a light purple mohawk, a small gray vest without sleeves, and black pants. He also had an impressive arrangement of tiny, silver hoop earrings decorating his body.

His turquoise eyes sought out Hanshara. "Hmmm. Are you a subordinate? Or a bitch of the dead ol' Kazekage? Don't think the boss told us of you." The reply to his observation was met with glares. He shrugged.

"We'll soon find out, shall we?" Hiro took a deep breath and opened his mouth wide. Immediately an extremely high pitched screech was emitted, sending the Suna shinobi to their knees, and they covered their ears in an attempt to block the sound. Hiro charged towards Hanshara and wrapped his arms around her middle before carrying her off in the direction he came.

Gaara's ears were ringing so badly he could barely concentrate, but he noticed their adversary take Hanshara. With great difficulty he picked himself off the ground and chased after them. He staggered at the beginning but slowly gained control over his motions.

"Baka! He always gets all the fun," Akira muttered underneath her breath. She had been equipped with special ear plugs that only blocked out the screeches her partner emitted so they could work together. She grinned. _Oh well, he was trained _especially_ to fight Suna's so-called, "Ultimate Weapon" anyway. _Akira put her hands on her hips while the two before her struggled to stand up, still suffering the effects of Hiro's jutsu.

"Are you going to make me wait all day?" she taunted. "There are more guard posts to destroy and we're running out of time." Cat-boy stood up, but the girl with four ponytails collapsed onto the floor.

"Awww, your precious ears hurt too much?" she joked in a baby voice. "Wonder why everyone speaks so highly—" Suddenly she was hit from behind with such force that she flew in the air towards the boy in black. At this point he grinned and moved his hands in a strange way so that a puppet with unkempt brown hair flew at her.

_They were only pretending to be affected, so I would put my guard down._ She chuckled. _They were better than I thought, but not good enough._

"_Suiton: Ice bubble!_" Suddenly Akira was surrounded by thick, blue ice, shattering Karasu and forcing Kankuro to jump out of the way. As soon as she made contact with the ground the blanket of ice burst apart, leaving Akira in the middle of broken ice unharmed.

She faced the girl lying on the ground, who turned into a piece of rubble.

"Kawarimi, huh?" Akira turned to find the girl standing besides Kankuro, holding her fan defensively in her arms. _So, when I was busy watching Hiro, she switched with some debris and came up behind me. Impressive._

"I'll hand it to you brats, you'll be more entertaining than I thought!"

Temari and Kankuro grinned. "Don't get so cocky this early on," Temari warned. "Overconfidence usually leads to failure."

Akira snorted then performed some quick hand seals and the fallen ice around her rose into the air and formed numerous tiny ice daggers.

"Suiton: Thousand Ice Needles!" The tiny objects flew at them with amazing speed.

"_Ninpou: Kamaitachi!_ (Ninja Art: Sickling Winds)" Temari unfurled her fan and swung forcefully. The wind she controlled with chakra acted like sickles, cutting all the needles in half and sending them back to her opponent.

Akira barely had any time to put up an ice wall of protection as the wind and needles were deflected back at her; the wall barely held. Once the winds ceased, Akira released her wall, her previous jeering expression replaced by anger and annoyance.

"You're dead!" she decreed, charging at Temari and making a hand seal. "_Underground Secret Attack!_"

Temari had barely any time to leap out of the way as hundreds of ice stalks with incredibly sharp tips emerged from underneath her. The kunoichi rolled in the air and jumped off the sides of some of the stalks that were finished, but she was unable to avoid a few deep cuts on her shoulders, chest, and legs.

She howled in pain as she landed on safe ground, clutching her arms and sides. She _should _have seen that coming! As she lifted her head towards her attacker, she noticed Kankuro give her a small sign and she nodded in return. Temari used her fan to push herself into a standing position and gathered her chakra.

"_Ninpou: Kamaitachi!_" This time she adjusted the chakra control so that Akira was caught in a whirlwind, unable to move while she was slashed from all sides, just like the way she won the preliminary match against that Ten-ten girl in Konoha. As Akira fell through the air when the jutsu was released, Kankuro was underneath her, ready for his role.

"_Karakuri Engeki!_ (Puppet Play)" Kuroari swung forward and caught Akira in his stomach. With a yank of his chakra strings, Kankuro snapped the buckles shut so that she could not escape.

"_Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu!_ (Black Secret Technique, One Dreadful Shot)" Immediately all of Karasu's limbs separated from his body and began to break apart with their deadly blades extended. Once they were ready, Kankuro attached them to their appropriate places on Kuroari, effectively piercing all Akira's vital organs.

When there was no further movement from Kuroari, he let out a sigh of relief. He was beginning to get worried at how skilled their opponent was, but she went down like all the others. He and Temari had come up with that attack a few days ago, and it appeared to have worked.

"Are you all right, Temari?" he asked. His sister grimaced and gave a small nod.

"Let's catch up to Gaara," she said simply.

Akira smirked inside Kuroari. As she was caught in the puppet, she had begun to smother her body in her ice armor. When the weapons struck, they struck ice, breaking most of their tips. Unfortunately, she had been unable to finish covering her left shoulder, which was now embedded with a knife and thick blood slid down the rest of her protected body.

Those brats were going to pay for that.

* * *

As Gaara chased after Hiro, he noticed that he was lbeing lead out of the desert and into the forest that lay up ahead. _So, it was a ploy to get me away from all the sand the desert provided. _He smirked. What he had in his gourd was more than enough. Desert or not, this strange ninja would not live to see another day.

Gaara easily caught up with Hiro and tripped him with his sand. As Hanshara went flying, he sent out some of his sand to catch and pull her over to him.

"Thanks, Gaara-sensei." Her ears were still ringing though, and that made it a little hard to concentrate, but Hanshara realized this was no time to be weak.

"Tch!" Hiro picked himself up off the ground, wiping his face as he did so. _Why did there have to be so much sand!_ "I finally get the chance to fight you, demon."

"I'm honored," Gaara said sarcastically. Hanshara blinked. _When did Gaara get a sense of humor?_ "Sorry, but this chance to fight will be your last." With that he rushed forward with Hanshara close behind, ready to strike.

Hiro smirked, took a deep breath, and emitted the same shrieking sound from before, but the shinobi barely even blinked as they continued to charge at him.

"_Suna shuriken!_" Both of his opponents said it at once, and Hiro had to overcome his original surprise in order to block them.

"_Sound_ _barrier!_" The shinobi held out his hands as if pushing against something, and distortions in the air appeared in front of him, causing the sand shuriken to break apart upon contact. After realizing their attack was useless, Gaara and Hanshara ceased firing and running, contemplating their next move. Hiro grinned.

"My barrier is simply a high frequency sound wave that goes up and down at such an accelerated speed your sand couldn't hope to break through it," Hiro boasted. "But I am curious, how did you fight my disorientation jutsu?"

"Ear plugs made from sand," Gaara explained. "Calibrated and patterned in relation to the frequency and wavelength of your jutsu, so that they have no effect."

Usually he didn't say anything to his victims; it always annoyed him how other shinobi were always so eager to explain their jutsus in a middle of a battle. The purpose, he surmised, was to _impress_ your opponent, but all Gaara cared about was whether the jutsu worked or not.

Hiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. _So, this demon isn't as much of a mindless killing machine as I thought._

Suddenly the girl began charging at him, while the demon stood there watching, like this was some sort of test she was supposed to face. The man smirked. He had a couple more tricks up his sleeve than a simple sound barrier and disorientation jutsu. It was time to unveil some of his more specialized tricks.

He filled up his lungs to their full capacity and then released a high frequency wave of sound. "_Destructive Tsunami!_" It looked like Gaara's _Bakuryu Ryusa_ (Desert Avalanche), only it traveled at a speed ten times faster. The chakra embedded in that wave was so intense that everything in its path was reduced to smithereens, and the width and height of it was so great that there was no way Hanshara could run around it or jump over it in enough time.

Hanshara skidded to a stop and frantically tried to figure a way out of her situation, because she was a couple seconds away from contact. As the threatening avalanche loomed closer and closer, Hanshara gathered her chakra and then raised them high in the air as her sand complied.

She molded the sand into two giant hands and Hiro laughed at the sight of it. Gaara was inclined to agree with Hiro; it looked rather ridiculous. Hanshara, however, had no time to be bothered with the reaction of her opponent and sensei.

The shinobi let out a long yell as she spread her arms apart, and then clapped them together forcefully, the massive hands above her mimicking the movements. Hiro realized all too late what she was doing.

The moment the hands made contact there was a deafening blast of sound that made the ground shake. It was so powerful that the gust of wind it produced was as visible as Hiro's Destructive Tsunami. Both rushed towards each other and on contact merged and gave birth to an explosion so great there were shockwaves that resulted, going in all directions. It was so powerful that trees that were in a ten foot radius from the impact were completely uprooted.

Once the debris had settled, Gaara released his sand dome he had used for protection, and was grateful that Hanshara had done the same. If he hadn't have taught her that, then the shockwaves would have ripped her limbs apart. Both were panting because of the large exertion of chakra it required to block the destructive shockwaves.

Hiro swore as he fell to his knees. _That annoying little brat was able to repel my attack!_ She had nullified his jutsu by sending out an equally powerful low pressure sound wave that cancelled out his high pressure one. In a few seconds she was able to determine the intensity of his attack, think of what produced a low enough wave to cancel it out, and then generate a wave with enough power to rival his own. It was quite impressive.

Meanwhile, in order for him to survive, he only had a few seconds in which to calculate the approximate frequency of what the _combined_ waves produced, and then create one that would cancel that out for his sound barrier jutsu. Needless to say, he was running low on chakra, but, he noted happily, so were the other shinobi.

It was time to unleash the jutsu that was especially made for Gaara, which was guaranteed to stop him, once and for all.

* * *

Just before Kankurou was about to release the supposed dead body, the ground shook tremendously and the siblings were thrown into a tree by a gust of wind that came barreling from the direction Gaara had chased Hiro.

"_What_ in Kami's name just happened?!" Kankuro yelled as they sat up.

Akira took advantage of the distraction and burst out of Kuroari drawing a daito sword, grasping it with both hands and swung it diagonally from the right to the left.

"_Suiton: Icestorm!_" Instantly, millions of round ice pellets bolted towards the Suna shinobi. Kankuro jumped into some bushes on his left, while Temari performed a series of back flips to avoid it.

As she was about to make contact with the ground, ice stalks burst out again and Temari realized in fear she would be unable to doge them this time. However, much to her relief, Karasu appeared at her side and caught her in his four, wooden puppet arms before cautiously putting her safely on the ground.

Akira yelled in frustration and directed her attention to Kankuro who was still controlling the puppet.

She threw Kankuro against a tree and immobilized his hands in ice, sticking him to the tree. She cackled and put her sword against his throat, then paused and examined Kankurou's face as she sniffed the air. Suddenly she swung the sword down, colliding with the ground on her left which sent a few ice needles into the bushes a little ways off. There was a sharp cry, and Kankuro emerged from the bushes, pulling out the needles that were stained with blood.

Akira smirked. "You know, we _did_ do some research on you brats, and using Kawarimi with your puppets is becoming too much of a signature move, kid." Kankuro grunted angrily as he yanked out the last needle and quickly moved his hands to the right, causing Kuroari to cease being his clone and charge at Akira. She had already anticipated his move and did a back flip in the air to avoid the puppet.

Temari appeared at Kankuro's side. "Are you all right, Kankuro?" Before he could even answer, both froze in alarm as they each felt something cold latch onto their backs. They glanced behind them to see the cause, only to find they each had a clone of Akira placing both hands on their back.

The real Akira grinned and performed a quick seal. "_Ice Prison!_" Suddenly the clones grasped Kankuro and Temari's hands, and they shivered as ice rapidly immobilized their hands before spread out to their whole body, until they were completely submerged in ice. All they could do was blink their eyes.

Kankuro tried to swallow his panic he felt from bot being able to breathe and his attention waned as his lungs screamed for air. There was nothing he could do.

Akira sniggered as her clones disappeared, lifted her sword, and charged towards Kankuro, ready to slice him in half.

* * *

Gaara calmly walked over to Hiro who was incapable of standing up at the present moment. The shinobi was practically passed out facedown on the ground. It would be all too easy.

"I'll admit you are powerful, but not enough. _Sabaku kyuu!_ (Desert Coffin)" The exhausted ninja soon found himself completely smothered in sand.

"_Sabaku So_—" Before Gaara could complete his jutsu, the sand exploded from the inside out, forcing the sand nin to block his eyes. Gaara was shocked. How could anyone be powerful enough to _break_ the desert coffin?

Hiro was now standing proudly in front of Gaara, in contrast to the nearly fainted person he had seen a few moments ago. _So, it was a hoax_.

Hanshara suddenly appeared beside Gaara and gave him a puzzled look. She was confused. From what she had been told, the desert coffin was impregnable. Some guy named Kimimaru whose bones were as strong as diamonds had _resisted_ it, but no one had _ever_ shattered it to pieces. How did he do it?

Hiro smirked at them, clearly enjoying the expression of surprise and confusion reflected in their faces. There was _no_ way he'd lose now. The man brought his hands to his mouth and cupped them, aimed at the Suna shinobi, took a deep breath, and expelled all the air in his lungs at them. Gaara and Hanshara stared at each other, completely confused because they could feel no sound waves, or hear any for that matter. Was he mad?

Suddenly their ears began vibrating very fast, as well as Gaara's whole body, his gourd, and Hanshara's hip packs. This continued for a few seconds as the vibrations increased in intensity, and then the sand exploded, just like the sand from the desert coffin.

Hanshara and Gaara howled as they went temporarily deaf and blood trickled from their ears. The kunoichi's exploded pouches around her hips left a large gash around her waist. She grunted as she doubled over in pain, and glanced over to see how Gaara was doing.

It would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"GAARA!" Not only were his ears bleeding, but so was the rest of him. His _entire _body was covered in blood. Gaara clutched his face and random parts of his jumpsuit were torn, revealing the horrifying open wounds underneath. It had to be because of his sand armor. Whatever Hiro had done, he had caused all their sand to explode which included the sand that was _supposed_ to be protecting Gaara.

Hanshara turned away from the awful sight, and glared menacingly at Hiro. "What . . . wha—what did you do?"

The strange man placed his hands on his hip and bent down to Hanshara mockingly. "Have you ever heard of _resonance_ little girl?" A pause. "No? Well, let me tell you. Everything in this world has a natural resonance, or a frequency at which it vibrates the easiest. Send that exact frequency in the direction of the object it matches, then it will cause that object to vibrate."

"_However—i_f there is enough energy put into that frequency, then it will cause the object to vibrate faster and faster, until the size of the vibration is so large that it causes the object to break—or explode." He smirked. "I have discovered . . . the resonance for sand." Hiro held up a finger. "And not just any sand. The sand that a famous Suna _demon_ uses, and evidently—his pupil," he added, gesturing to Hanshara.

"You see," he continued, crouching down until he was eye level with her, "Sand is sand, but it took me _forever_ to figure out a good medium because some grains of sand are denser than others, so I couldn't find a specific one—just an average. And _then_ I had to adjust it to account for chakra-enhanced sand, because although it has a _slightly_ different chemical makeup, it drastically alters its resonance."

"Through hard work and persistence, I have discovered the _exact_ frequency that will cause any chakra embedded sand to explode on itself. _I_ have the _perfect_ jutsu that can annihilate the amazing Gaara of the Desert. _That_ is why I was chosen for this job," he bragged. Hiro sniggered at Hanshara's terrified expression. The best satisfaction he received from his job was the glimpse of the horrified look on his victims' face.

But he didn't have time for her right now, not yet. First he had to get rid of the annoying Suna demon before anything else happened. Hiro cackled at the sight of the most terrifying person in all of Suna, whimpering on the ground like a child and covered in blood.

"What's the matter?" Hiro taunted in a baby voice. "I thought you _liked_ being covered in blood, demon? Don't you feed off blood you ruthless animal?!" The shinobi withdrew a small silver katana from his back and held it over his head in one hand.

"DIE DEMON!"

* * *

**EDIT: Yay! The changes and mistakes I need to fix are getting less and less! Though it's still taking me forever to do. Please enjoy the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10: True Power

**Phew. School has been crazy, but I am beginning to enjoy AP Government. Anyway, sorry for the late update. B****efore you read the next part, let me thank those awesome reviewers! **Meira Evenstar, Fire Rogue Shinobi, Narutoboyluver, Blacknbluesiren, Lily Yamamoto (2), **and** Eddi.

* * *

Just as Akira was about to cut Kankuro in half, a familiar object collided with the left side of her skull, and nearly rendered her unconscious as it sent her flying through the air to her right.

Temari rushed forward to her brother. "Kankuro! Are you okay?" The puppet master rolled his eyes. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Let's see how to get you out of there."

Figuring she had just a few seconds to free her brother, Temari knew she had no other option. _If only I knew some katon jutsu,_ she sighed.

"This might hurt a bit," she admitted, though she said so with a mischievous grin. Kankuro barely had any time to be surprised or protest before Temari unveiled two exploding tags, ignited them with a quick seal, and threw them on the ground in front of the two frozen figures before jumping out of the way. Within seconds the tags exploded and shards of glass flew in every direction. When the dust cleared, a disgruntled Kankuro emerged with an angry scowl on his face.

He swore and growled at Temari. "That HURT!" Kankuro winced as he pulled out a large piece of ice that was embedded in his left shoulder. The sleeve on his left arm and part of the clothing over his chest were blown off and he was sporting a few minor burns that nonetheless were painful.

Temari just shrugged and joined her brother. "Got you out didn't I? Or would you rather be stuck in an ice cube while I destroy that ice bi—" Just then they were assaulted by ice needles and they had to jump out of the way. When they landed again, Akira was off to their right completely fuming.

"How did you—" Just then another Temari came up behind her and her arm grew and wrapped itself tightly around Akira's torso.

"You don't seem to know the most important rule of fighting a puppet master," Kankuro chided. "_Always_ keep an eye on their puppets." He flicked his wrist and Kuroari appeared next to him. "Didn't you ever wonder where Karasu went?"

As Akira finally understood she growled. _That brat used Kawarimi on me again and I didn't see it!_

"_Suiton: Snow Storm Diversion!_" Akira's eyes glowed and she disappeared as tiny pieces of ice, freeing herself from Karasu's grasp. Suddenly they were surrounded by a swirling mass of ice and snow. Akira suddenly materialized in front of them and sliced Temari with her daito only to vanish just as quickly. The Suna shinobi soon found themselves alternatively sliced with the weapon and Akira was nowhere to be found.

"It's a genjutsu!" Temari yelled as she was cut across the cheek. Kankuro grunted his acknowledgement and focused on trying to cover his vital organs.

Temari took a deep breath to calm herself and mentally blocked out the pain. _Time to end this battle, _she though. Their opponent was impressive because not many were able to stay alive this long when fighting them, but her time was up. She meticulously tracked all the movements of the ice and snow and made a mental list of where and when they were each attacked. After a few minutes she was able to discover the pattern of Akira's attacks.

With one swift movement Temari unfurled her fan and chanted, "_Ninpou Fuusajin!_ (Dust Wind)" Her aim was perfect, and she noted with relief that her chakra enhanced wind collided with Akira and sent her flying, dispelling the genjutsu.

_Take that, crybaby,_ she smirked. Shikamaru wasn't the only strategist. Kankuro let out a sigh of relief and brought his puppets close to him.

Akira soon recovered from Temari's attack and jumped down to meet them, but failed to notice the small pile of dust directly beneath her. When she landed the sand caused her to slip and miss her footing, causing her to tumble down to the earth.

"Kankuro, Interrogation Tactic Three!" Temari knew she would fall for it, everyone always did. What opponents assumed to be just an annoying burst of chakra wind at them had a hidden purpose. It caused sand to appear where they were most likely to step so they would be caught off guard. Temari still remembered with pride when she tricked that brat Sasuke with it during the chuunin exams.

Her brother immediately understood and intricately moved his fingers, causing Kuroari's neck to lift up and a purple coated kunai burst out and made contact with Akira's shoulder, pinning her against the base of a tree. She yelped in pain as the poison began to take effect. Her body no longer responded and she felt her life and vision slowly dissipating.

The two shinobi landed beside her, both with grim smiles.

"This is a special serum I made," Kankuro happily explained, "which is only to be used in interrogation. First it paralyzes you and seals off all your chakra coils, rendering you helpless, and it is combined with a powerful truth serum, so you have no choice but to answer our questions. Then it kills you once I perform a special hand seal so that I have control over how long you spend answering our questions."

Akira's eyes opened wide. "_You_ made a serum like this?" She smirked. "Guess you're not as dumb as you look."

Kankuro grabbed the collar of Akira's jumpsuit. "Now listen here bi—"

"Oh, leave her alone. She's under the effects of a truth serum, remember?" Temari chuckled. Kankuro scowled and folded his arms angrily. "So, first question," Temari continued, "why were you attacking our guard posts? Is it an act of war?"

Akira smirked. "That was _two_ questions." True, she was going to give all the answers against her will, but she wasn't going down without having a little fun. "No, it wasn't for an act of war. The entire purpose was to draw out the infamous Suna Jinchuuriki from the village and kill him."

"Who made you do this?"

"Don't know his name," she sighed, "and he kept his face hidden. He just came to Hiro and me, asking for a favor. Didn't really matter who he was because he was offering a lot of money for it. We had to spend a month or so being specifically trained to fight Gaara, but it was worth it."

"What were his intentions?"

"How should I know? We got a mission and a lot of money to complete it, so we took the job."

Kankuro began to feel uneasy. "Do you at least remember something about what he looked like?"

The prisoner frowned for a second, then answered, "Sort of. I know the main guy had long blonde hair, and his partner was some fat old guy who wore a cloth around his face. They both wore these really ridiculous looking cloaks that were black with red clouds on them though."

This new information meant nothing to them, yet the message was clear; someone desperately wanted Gaara dead and they weren't from Suna. The only puzzling thing was that these shinobi weren't strong enough to defeat them. Sure, it took a lot of work, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Did the people responsible not know their full abilities, or was it for another reason?

At any rate, Akira no longer served a purpose. While Kankuro made the appropriate hand sign, Akira sighed softly.

"Never thought I'd be bested by some little kids," she mumbled before her head limped forward in defeat. There was silence for a few moments while the Temari checked for a pulse to make sure she was dead.

Temari glanced at her brother. "Wow, you look awful," she taunted. His "war paint" was slightly marred from becoming a human icicle, bits and pieces of his clothes were missing, there were numerous cuts and bloody gashes that adorned random areas of his body, and the burned flesh added to the ensemble.

He snorted at her. "You don't exactly look like a princess yourself," he retorted. Glancing down, Temari felt inclined to agree. She shared many similar cuts and gashes, the most notable where the ice stalks had viciously split apart her flesh, and she could feel some nasty bruising starting to appear all over her body. None of their injuries were that serious, but their cuts were very exposed, leaving them vulnerable to infection and blood loss could play a factor later. Kankuro's burns would also have to be looked at.

"We better go see how Gaara's doing."

* * *

To say Hiro was surprised was an understatement. He was completely baffled. This mission was supposed to be relatively easy; fight the demon to drain him of his chakra, make his sand explode (rendering him helpless), and then kill him before he could even blink. _This_ was not in his original calculations.

That annoying girl sat there before him as thick trails of blood ran down her left arm. She had stopped his katana with her forearm and the bones were now severely broken. She was _protecting _him!

Hanshara winced. The pain was excruciating. As Hiro tried to kill Gaara, she did the only thing she could think of; stop it with her own body. Thanks to her training, she was able to move fast enough to get in the way, and she held up her left arm to block it.

She was immensely grateful and surprised that her arm hadn't been cut off. As the blade stuck, there was a reverberating crunch; similar to the sound of someone walking on glass. Blinding red pain filled her consciousness, and her heart skipped a few beats as her brain stumbled to register the unendurable level of pain. Still unable to think clearly, Hanshara squinted at her shocked opponent, whose eyes had seemed to double in size. Anger soon clouded his expression, and Hanshara grimaced and whimpered in agony as he dislodged the blade.

As he raised the katana again, Hanshara called out to the sand closest to her and sent it flying into his eyes. The man yelped in surprise and dropped his weapon, furiously wiping the sand away so he could see. Wasting no time, Hanshara cradled her useless arm against her chest, pushed herself into a standing position, and charged at the unsuspecting shinobi. She locked both legs together then crashed into his stomach, feet first.

Hiro wheezed as all the air left his lungs and he swore he heard a lung crack. He flew through the air and collided with an uprooted tree, with his back slamming into it first with a powerful whiplash soon after. Hanshara slid on the ground a couple feet in front of him, using her right hand to steady herself.

She swore at being reduced to just taijutsu, seeing as how any attack she threw at him with sand would blow up in her face—literally. She was beginning to see that having no weapons with her was a serious flaw in their preparations.

The shinobi slowly picked himself off the ground and spat out blood. It would be harder to complete his jutsu now because each ragged breath resulted in pain. He had to kill her now before she could do anything else so he could accomplish his mission.

Ignoring the pain, Hiro took a smaller breath, puckered his lips, and blew. "_Sound Wave Cannon!_" A concentrated high frequency beam bolted towards her and she barely had enough time to get out of the way. However, as she dodged, Hiro followed her with his beam, and Hanshara felt her sense of perception failing, causing her to trip over an upended root. Hiro's beam caught her leg just before he ran out of breath.

The Suna kunoichi cried in agony as the attack tore into her ligaments and burst a small hole into her calf about an inch in diameter. She collapsed on the ground and inspected the hole on her right leg. The blood easily flowed through the open wound.

Hiro coughed up more blood and then staggered over to the fallen girl, grinning wildly. Hanshara gasped as her vision became foggy, and she started to have trouble hearing various sounds and differentiating them.

Noticing her expression, Hiro chuckled. "Having trouble concentrating? When I caused the sand in your ears to explode, the sound wave they gave off attacked your semicircular canals in your ears, messing up your five senses. You should be incapable of fighting for a while."

"Also," he wheezed, "That last jutsu was extremely powerful. Usually sound waves aren't dangerous, but if they are focused just right, and enough power is put behind them, they can go right through your skin and tear the flesh apart. If aimed at your heart, it can prove fatal." Hanshara gasped as she realized what he was about to do, and struggled to get up, but found she couldn't.

"Goodbye," Hiro taunted solemnly. As he took a breath, sand shot out from behind him and wrapped around his body until he was almost completely smothered in it. Hanshara struggled to focus on what was happening before her.

As Hiro was slowly being lifted up into the air, made immobile by the sand, Gaara stumbled forward out from behind a tree, covered in dried and flowing blood, but nonetheless alive.

"You should really shut up once and a while and actually focus on the battle," Gaara advised dryly.

"HAA!" Hiro screamed. "Nice try demon, but I can easily escape from this pathetic 'Desert Coffin' of yours!" With that he took a deep breath and expelled the air, yet nothing happened. Hiro frowned and tried again, completely focused on creating the sound, but the sand didn't move at all.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Gaara sighed impatiently. "While you two were fighting, I drew up minerals from deep within the earth and merged them with my sand." He locked eyes with Hiro. "Minerals with densities greater than my sand and the strongest on the earth." His opponent gasped, then let out a loud cry of despair and anger that Gaara was all too happy to extinguish.

"_Sabaku SouShu!_" Hiro was gone forever. Previously, Gaara had thought he couldn't have gotten any more covered in blood, but he was wrong. The blood of their former opponent rained on the two shinobi, blending in with their own.

After he let his sand fall, Gaara let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground, clutching his ears. _So,_ Hanshara thought, _he is suffering the same effects as me._ She groaned as she slowly dragged herself over to him, the area around them swaying and becoming more blurred with each passing second.

"G-Gaara?" Her voice was strange, as if it was an echo in an empty room and garbled as if she were underwater.

"So—sorry, Hanshara," Gaara answered weakly. "Should'a . . . been faster . . . " Suddenly there were two figures standing over them—or what he assumed were two figures. They were more like foggy blurs.

"GAARA!" The voice was so far away, so distant . . . . it sounded like Temari.

"How could he be bleeding? The sand armor is supposed to protect him?" Gaara gave a weak smile at his brother's comment.

"It's ironic," he slurred. "The sand armor is what hurt me." Temari and Kankuro glanced at each other in alarm as Gaara fainted.

"Hanshara! What happened?" Temari demanded The kunoichi rushed to her side and cradled her in her arms.

"H-Hiro . . . made the sand . . . explode and . . . we h-had some . . . in . . . our ears . . . hard to concen—trate . . . " Then she too succumbed to unconsciousness.

Kankuro swore. It was about a two day journey back to their village; they would die from blood loss first! _What were they to do?_

"Kankuro! Take some cloth and wrap it around the places where Gaara is bleeding the most!" Temari ordered. She untied her sash and firmly tied it around Hanshara's waist, and she noted with disgust that so much flesh had been ripped off Temari could see some of her hip bone.

"Got it!" The shinobi paused for a second before bringing Karasu towards him and tore off his puppet's cape, tearing it into random pieces. Gaara had a _lot _of places that were bleeding the most! There was no way he could pick just a few. Thinking quickly, Kankuro strapped cloth around Gaara's main pressure points, and wiped away the blood that marred his face so he could breathe easier.

"Konoha is about half a day's away. We should go there to seek help!" Temari reasoned a little hysterically. The cuts all over their body weren't necessarily what worried her; what was unsettling was the amount of blood and the blood coming out of their ears.

If those explosions were too close to their eardrums they could become permanently deaf, which would be a serious handicap for a shinobi. What was also unsettling was the fact that it reminded her that her youngest brother was not immortal.

At the beginning, Gaara being seemingly immortal was a nuisance, and she would feel herself straying to almost wishing he would die, partly because he caused so much trouble, and partly because she felt it would be a better life for him than the one he was currently living. However, as of late she had grown to be grateful for the fact that practically nothing could hurt him. She wanted him to live on and fulfill his dream and to try and enjoy what life can bring.

Now he was so covered in blood that he looked like someone had thrown red paint all over his body. Temari scooped Hanshara in her arms while Kankuro did the same with Gaara. With a frantic nod they each took off towards Konoha, not noticing the two, dark figures hidden in the vegetation around them.

"Your subordinates were weak," a deep voice scolded.

"Tch! They did their part. Anyway, their jutsus weren't any type of art anyway," a blonde replied in irritation. "Although I did enjoy that one guy's explosive jutsu, what was his name . . . Hiko?" he added as an after thought.

"What do you think about this Jinchuuriki?" the first asked, ignoring his partner's previous observation.

The blonde stroked his chin. "He's quite powerful, but I think I can defeat him, _hmph_."

* * *

**Well, there you have it! I hope the fact that the Akatsuki is testing Gaara to see his strengths is believable. **

**Also, I really hope you were able to understand the fighting, and that you enjoyed it (especially **the faceless master **who requested a fight scene)!**


	11. Chapter 11: Konoha Hospital

**Hello! Wow, this story has remained untouched for a while and I apologize. My crossover fic has really taken all my time. ****Anyway, here are my amazing reviewers! **Narutoboyluver, Meira Evenstar, i Mel-chan i, Hailey619, cardcaptor eternity (9!), **and** Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison. **I'd just like to thank **cardcaptor eternity** and **Meira Evenstar** for being such awesome reviewers! They each get a big heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie!**

**So I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Valentines' Day and hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Kakashi sighed. Life had been pretty dull for the past few months: Naruto training with Jiraiya, Sakura undergoing Tsunade's brutal training, and all the S-rank missions he was now given since he no longer had a team to train. The break from missions was a treat though, he figured as he walked by the entrance to Konoha.

"How is everything going?" he asked Kotetsu and Izumo. The unfortunate chuunin were on entrance duty.

Kotetsu sighed. "Pretty normal. You?"

The copy nin shrugged. "Just taking a walk." He glanced up in alarm as he sensed four impressive chakras coming near the village. The two chuunin felt it too and joined the jounin as he squinted at the figures stumbling towards them. Kakashi gasped and turned to the other two.

"Follow me," he ordered before disappearing. Slightly confused and apprehensive, the two friends abandoned their post and took off after the jounin.

"Almost . . . there," Kankuro announced gratefully. He and Temari had been carrying Gaara and Hanshara for a couple hours now as they sprinted through the trees, and now their own injuries were taking their toll, reducing them to a slow jog.

Suddenly three ninjas surrounded them, whom they realized to be Hatake Kakashi and two proctors from the chuunin exams.

"Thank Kami," Kankuro slurred, "Didn't think we'd make it." As he fainted Kakashi caught him before he hit the ground, making sure Gaara didn't fall.

"Kotetsu, take Kankuro. I'm going to take Gaara to Tsunade-sama because he needs the most attention. Somehow both of you take care of these three and bring them straight to the hospital."

"Understood!" There was no room for argument as the chuunin obediently followed out their orders.

Kakashi scooped Gaara into his arms. He was surprised that these people were actually the famous Suna siblings, because they honestly looked like they'd been through hell. He didn't know who the girl was, but he guessed either she was traveling with them or they had undergone a mission to save her.

The most unsettling thing was how bloody Gaara was. Being a previous ANBU he had seen worse, but not much. This young boy was a Jinchuuriki and he had his ultimate defense and sand armor, so why was he so beat up?

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi announced, bursting through her door.

Tsunade swung around, furious at being interrupted in the middle of a training session with Sakura and Ino. "Why the he—" She stopped when she noticed the bleeding child in his arms. "Who—" then she saw the kanji mark on his forehead.

Sakura and Ino gasped. Neither had seen that much blood before, and they tried to hide their discomfort. The jounin and Sannin were not fazed.

"Lay him down," Tsunade instructed. Kakashi did as he was told and laid the poor Jinchuuriki down gently. "Before we take him to the hospital the bleeding must be stopped," she informed her pupils who slowly came forward to watch.

"How did this happen?" she asked Kakashi as she began using healing chakra over the most damaged parts of his body.

"I do not know," the jounin admitted. "I was at the entrance to the village and noticed him and his siblings as well as another girl who was similarly wounded, though not as much. Kotetsu and Izumo are bringing those three to the hospital as we speak."

Tsunade swore. "What are his siblings' conditions?"

"Not as critical. They were definitely exhausted. Kankuro fainted when we came to him. He had mild burns and numerous gashes. The sister was better off, only sporting cuts yet they were more serious."

While her attention was focused on Gaara and what Kakashi was saying, Sakura could tell she was mentally checking all that was required to treat the four patients.

After a few minutes of performing many blood vessel repairs, Tsunade turned to Kakashi. "Take him to the hospital with your transportation jutsu and bring him to the first operation room you see," she ordered. "We will meet you there shortly." Kakashi nodded and picked up the boy before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Temari awoke to sunlight streaming into the room. She groaned and sat up, stretching as she did so to awaken all the stiff joints in her limbs. She noticed she was dressed in a clean hospital tunic and was in a comfortable bed in a white hospital room with a large white cloth to her left. Kankuro was most likely on the other side. With slight difficulty she reached over and yanked the curtain aside, flooding her brother in sunlight.

He sat up in an instant, shielding his eyes.

"Whazzit?" he asked groggily. Once he could see he surveyed the room quickly and his eyes widened.

"Where's Gaara? Are we in Konoha? Have we been captured?"

Temari groaned in frustration. "Baka! Of course we're in Konoha!" She glanced towards the base of her hospital bed. "If I wasn't so sore I'd pummel you with my fan for being so stupid."

Kankuro calmed down and muttered, "Thank Kami," just loud enough for her to hear. She frowned at him and was about to make a snide comment before the door opened and the Hokage entered followed by Kakashi and Sakura.

"Are you feeling better?" the Sannin asked concernedly.

The two Suna shinobi nodded, suddenly all business. "How're Gaara and Hanshara?" Temari demanded before another word could be said.

"Stabilized. They most likely won't be awake for a few more hours." Reassured, the two shinobi let out a sigh of relief.

"However," Tsunade began, "I need to know how they got this way. Their ear drums were nearly blown to pieces, and so much flesh was removed in some parts of their body I could see their bones!"

Temari and Kankuro glanced at each other and then back at the Hokage. "We don't really know ourselves," Temari admitted with a shrug. "We were separated in the battle and found them in that condition."

"Hanshara mentioned something about exploding sand," Kankurou recalled thoughtfully. "Both of them use sand as a jutsu, so that would make sense. And especially why Gaara was so affected," he added quietly, looking at his hands.

"Ah, the sand armor," Kakashi remembered.

Tsunade glanced at the jounin and realized the rumors she had heard concerning the Suna Jinchuuriki was true. "All the same, I'd like to find out the whole story. Sakura," she ordered, turning to her pupil. "I want to be immediately informed when they wake up."

"Yes!" Tsunade turned to the shinobi.

"Make sure to rest," she warned. "I've had too much experience with shinobi disobeying my orders and leaving this hospital before they were ready." She made the last comment while looking directly at Kakashi, who rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Sakura gave a warm smile, knowing all too well she as referring to Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto as well.

The two kunoichi left the room while the jounin stayed behind.

Once he was sure the others were out of earshot he walked up to them and pulled up a chair which he promptly sat on.

"What type of mission were you on?" he asked with a serious tone.

The two siblings glanced at each other doubtfully. _Why was he asking them this? What business of it was his?_

Realizing it could be an imposter, Kankuro attached his concealed chakra strings to numerous objects all around him while Temari casually glanced back at her fan and calculated the distance and force necessary to grab it at a moments notice should the need arise.

Kakashi studied them for a moment then broke into a small chuckle. "I must say, I'm impressed," he admitted. "I commend you on taking all precautions, but I assure you that I am the real Hatake Kakashi. I doubt anyone would have been able to fool Tsunade-sama." Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened when they discovered they had been caught yet still regarded him skeptically.

"The reason I wanted to know," Kakashi informed them quietly, dropping his voice to a whisper, "is because there is a possibility Gaara is being targeted because of Shukaku. There is an organization called the Akatsuki who seem to be after Naruto, who also has a demon within him like your brother. I know this because I was involved in a battle with one of their members a couple months ago, and believe me when I say that they are extremely skilled shinobi." The two siblings were able to hear the pain of his memory in the last statement.

"Jiraiya-sama has been receiving confidential information that they are planning something big, and most likely it involves all the Jinchuuriki. We don't know exactly what they're doing, but we estimate they are going after Naruto in about a year and a half. He is training with Jiraiya right now to prepare himself, which is why he is not in the village. If our sources and information is correct, Gaara is in danger and I feel you have the right to at least be warned."

The Suna shinobi frowned and pondered over what had just been revealed to them.

"When we questioned our opponent, she said they had been hired by someone with blonde hair and a black cloak with red clouds," Temari announced fearfully.

Kakashi's visible eye widened at the memory of Kisame and Itachi as well as his battle with them.

"That's the Akatsuki," he said slowly. "You can decide whether or not to tell Gaara, but beware of them coming after him at a later date."

"Thank you," Kankuro said gratefully.

Kakashi nodded before standing up. "Glad to hear you're all right," he said cheerfully before exiting the room.

"We should probably send a letter to Baki-sensei and give our report as well as explain our reasons for delay." Kankuro nodded and lay back on his bed dramatically, falling asleep in a few seconds. Temari smirked, but was inclined to agree with him; she was still exhausted.

When Kakashi left with Gaara, Izumo took Hanshara from her and she fought to stay conscious as they hurried to the hospital. The two chuunin had offered to help, but she shook her head and followed them, fully aware of how stubborn she was being but they wouldn't be able to move as fast if one of them had to carry her as well. Only when they met with medics in the hospital did she succumb to unconsciousness.

* * *

The first thing Hanshara was aware of when she awoke was pain. Pain in her side, right thigh, and ears. She groaned and sat up, rubbbed her eyes and winced as she strained her sides. Glancing down she realized she was adorned in a soft, blue hospital gown and her hips were covered in thick bandages, prohibiting wide movement on her part, and her left arm was in a thick cast. The memory of the bones snapping apart were all too fresh in her brain.

She turned her attention to her left and saw Gaara lying on a bed next to her, unconscious and bandages covered every inch of his body. He looked so comical she was unable to prevent herself form laughing out loud.

After a few minutes Gaara was brought out of his rare slumber, his teal eyes shining. He appeared confused for a second then he instantly shot up, yelling in pain once he was in a seated position. Every part of his body ached and it felt like someone was trying to pull his skin apart with each movement.

He glanced at Hanshara and croaked through the bandages. "Where are we?"

Hanshara shrugged. "I think I heard Temari say something about taking us to Konoha instead of Suna."

_Konoha? It looks like I am graced to see their hospital again._

"Looks like they brought us here in good time to be treated, but you honestly look like a mummy, Gaara," Hanshara observed with a smirk.

Gaara examined his torso and arms, finding this to be true. Of course, they were underneath the blue gown he wore, but there were there just the same. He was amazed at how much pain he was in. He scowled as Shukaku gained his attention by using some choice words, but Gaara tuned him out. He instead turned his attention to Hanshara who was looking at him curiously.

"Was _he _talking to you?' She made sure to asked carefully because she wasn't sure if it was her place or not.

He simply nodded. "Rather boring to tell you the truth. All he talks about it how he wants to get out or how he wants me to kill someone." Hanshara was about to speak when a blond-haired woman burst through the door. She looked back and forth between the two shinobi and sighed in relief.

"Glad to see you're awake," she said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Hanshara admitted. Gaara just shrugged then instantly winced from the pain, which didn't go unnoticed by the woman.

"You are going to have to be bedridden for a while. I had to reseal all your wounds and use a special jutsu to speed up your cell production because you lost a lot of flesh. It should be all covered now, but fast movements will rip them apart. You will be unable to move from this bed for at least two more days," she informed Gaara, then turned to Hanshara. "You can leave tomorrow, but you will need to use a crutch for a little while due to the gaping hole in your thigh." She paused for a moment and sighed, then looked at them with a small smirk on their face.

"My name is Tsunade, and I was wondering if you could explain to me about how you received such unusual wounds?"

_Tsunade? So this is one of the Legendary Sannin_, Gaara noted. He turned to Hanshara who silently asked if it was all right for her to tell the story and he gave her a slight nod, grateful she had offered to tell it because he didn't really feel like doing anything of the sort at the moment. And so for the next couple minutes Hanshara explained everything in detail to Tsunade, with small nods of acknowledgement from Gaara. When she was finished the Hokage sighed and shook her head.

"That is quite an impressive jutsu. Anyway, you four are welcome to stay in Konoha until your injuries are healed. Once Temari and Kankurou are dismissed, they will be shown to an apartment you may use for the time being, and they will escort you there when the time arises. Now if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork to return to," she said gruffly, thoroughly displeased with the last statement. She gave them a slight nod of departure and left the room.

"So what's Konoha like?" Hanshara inquired as she lay back down on the pillows, grateful for the chance to rest.

"It's quite beautiful," Gaara admitted, still sitting up as he looked out the window. "There are trees everywhere, and it's not as hot as Suna. It's quite a different climate."

"I can't wait to see it. Doesn't that Naruto kid live here?" Gaara nodded. He had been expecting the hyperactive blonde to come bursting through the door any minute now, and was surprised that he hadn't. _He must be training or on a mission_, he figured. Gaara just wished that he would have a chance to see his friend before they left for Suna.

Hanshara smiled. She had heard all about Naruto from Gaara and his siblings; how he had completely changed Gaara's life for the better, how he had impacted all their lives. She wanted to personally thank him for all he had done, and couldn't wait to see what this new village was like!

The Jinchuuriki observed Hanshara as she drifted into sleep rather quickly with a calm expression on her face. He was incredibly grateful that she was all right and impressed at how well she had done on her first mission. He felt a pang of guilt when he noticed her left arm, remembering how Hanshara had described receiving that wound and how she had deflected Hiro's deadly attack in order to save him.

It was amazing to him how strange it felt to know that someone put their life on the line to _protect_ him, and not the other way around. In a way, he didn't feel worthy to be thought of so highly by Hanshara, but he was still grateful for it all the same. It was a wonderful and exciting feeling to mean that much to another person.

* * *

Later on that day, Temari and Kankuro were gathering their supplies and then were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." As the door slid apart, a young boy emerged with his brown hair tied back tautly and a bored expression on his face. Temari smirked.

"So you're still alive then, Crybaby?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome woman. _You're_ the one I should say that too." He raised his eyebrow mockingly. "From the state you were in when you came here, it appears that you almost died. I mean, fainting at the entrance to the hospital? Looks like you aren't as tough as I thought."

Temari growled and tightened her grip on her fan. "Why, you no good—" Kankuro held out an arm to stop his deranged sister from reopening her injuries in her fury at the Nara boy.

"What are here for anyway, Nara?" he growled, causing Shikamaru to step back slightly. Kankuro looked fierce without his face covered in paint. The chuunin gulped.

"I'm here to escort you to the apartment the Hokage has provided for you to rest at," he informed them quickly, all too aware of the anger from the two shinobi that was directed at him.

Temari huffed. "Of all people, she had to send _you_." She sighed and clamped Kankuro on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"ITAI!" Kankuro howled, pulling away and massaging his shoulder gingerly. "Temari! You know I'm still sore! Need I remind you that I received this burn from _your_ exploding tags?"

The blonde shrugged then rubbed her temples. "Looks like I'm surrounded by crybabies today," she muttered, causing the two boys to glare at her, yet they knew better than to say anything else.

"Follow me," Shikamaru ordered, turning to leave the hospital room. He could tell that the next few days that the Suna siblings were here would be anything but ordinary. _Oh well_, he thought with a smirk. _We haven't really had much action since Naruto left, so it will definitely be interesting._


	12. Chapter 12: A Whole New Village

**So, reviewers, right? I'd like to thank **Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, Meira Evenstar, Shubaltz crazist, The Full Moon Crys, cardcaptor eternity, **and **Elle Steinig**. Thanks a bunch!**

**The 50****th**** reviewer was **Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison**, and she gets some chocolate truffles!**

* * *

The next morning Hanshara awoke with very stiff joints that groaned when she stretched them. After rubbing the badly needed sleep out of her eyes she turned over to Gaara who was eating breakfast in his bed, being sensitive to his injuries.

"There's your breakfast," he informed her, nudging his head to the foot of her bed. She followed his gaze and noticed a pretty decent breakfast by hospital standards. It took a bit of work to get to it with her injured thigh but soon she joined Gaara in a silent meal.

"You did a very good job for your first mission," he said after a while. "I'm impressed with how much you've improved."

Hanshara grinned. "Thanks. It's a lot more fun than I thought it'd be. Are they always—"

"Hanshara, are you ready to go?" The pair glanced at the door and saw a young girl about their age with startling pink hair. The Suna kunoichi found it difficult not to stare, for she had never seen anyone with such an outlandish hair color. In Suna, hair was either brown, black, blonde, gray, or red, in Gaara's case. Instead, she just nodded.

The girl smiled. "Great. My name is Haruno Sakura and I am one of the medical ninjas in this village. Temari and Kankuro are busy at the moment, and I wanted to make sure you got settled in with knowledge on how to treat your injuries."

Hanshara glanced at Gaara nervously, not wanting to leave him all alone in the hospital. It was probably bad enough having to be awake while she slept all that time yesterday, now she was leaving him?

He gave a small nod. "I don't mind, I've already seen the village. If you find Naruto though, be sure to tell him I want to talk to him."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but he's on a special training mission with Jiraiya," Sakura informed the Jinchuuriki sadly. "He won't be back for another year or so." She felt bad, seeing Gaara's downcast face at her proclamation. Of course, it wasn't that apparent, but it was the most depressed she had ever seen the impassive boy.

Hanshara was disappointed as well; she _really_ wanted to meet him!

Sakura bit her lip, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Well . . . I guess I'll show you to your apartment then!" She turned to Gaara. "Tsunade-sama says that she will come and check on you later tonight, and if you're fine then you will be allowed to leave early."

"Hn."

As Hanshara got up off the bed she stumbled with the injury on her leg, having to hold the bed rail for support.

"Oh, here's a crutch for you to use," Sakura offered quickly, bringing one to her. "With your left arm I'm afraid one is all you can use."

Grasping the crutch with her right hand, Hanshara adjusted it to fit under the crook of her arm and slightly hobbled a few times, taking a step with her left leg and then using the crutch to move her right, with her broken arm resting against her body on the opposite side.

"I feel like an old woman," she grumbled. Sakura chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it after a while," she assured the kunoichi. "Later, Gaara!"

"See you in a bit," Hanshara called over her shoulder. Sakura held the door open for her.

Gaara watched the two girls leave before settling back on the pillows, wondering what he would do without the prospect of seeing his friend Naruto during his stay in Konoha.

* * *

Sakura was very interested in the girl limping beside her. From what she had gathered and heard, this girl was Gaara's new apprentice. What was the name of the other one . . . Matsuri? Hanshara looked a lot more competent than that girl.

What was equally intriguing was the fact that she had been almost as badly hurt as Gaara had been. Didn't Kankuro say something along the lines of how both her and Gaara used sand as a jutsu? She thought only Gaara was able to do that. Was that unique jutsu something central to Suna? And what was this about exploding sand? Deciding she might find that out later, she glanced at the girl who was wincing from the pain and doing her best to adjust to her new walking pattern.

"So you're a kunoichi too, huh?" Sakura began to try and instigate a conversation.

"Yep. I'm still learning though, I just started about a few months ago."

"Really? What kind of mission were you guys on, anyway? All four of you had some pretty nasty wounds there, especially you and Gaara."

"We went against some powerful opponents," Hanshara admitted truthfully. "The one Gaara and I fought developed the ability to make our sand explode and . . . "

* * *

"This village is amazing!" Hanshara remarked as they made their way through the streets.

"Just any regular village," Sakura informed her, slightly confused as to the cause of her new friend's fascination.

"It's definitely not Suna. Sand is everywhere, as far as the eye can see, and there are no clouds, so the sun is bearing down on you all the time," Hanshara pointed out. "Don't get me wrong—I adore my village, but the constant sun can get a little boring after a while."

"I see what you mean, the rain can get a little boring here as well and it can get in the way."

"Really? Days that it rains are spent outside for us, gathering as much water as we can and simply enjoying being covered in it."

"I wish I could visit sometime, just go to another village."

"You haven't already been to another shinobi village? Why not?"

Sakura shrugged. "Just haven't, I guess."

"You should come to Suna sometime! Even though it's in the middle of the desert, we still have a lot of fun." She smirked and hobbled a little closer to Sakura. "Have you ever gone Sand Dune Surfing?" she asked in a slight whisper.

The medical nin shook her head.

"It's really fun! Kankuro made it up a little after I met him and his family. What you do is—"

"Sakura-san!" Suddenly a green blur sped in their direction and stopped a few feet in front of them, a dust cloud surrounding the person inside. When it finally cleared away it gave view to a tall, green shinobi with a bowl cut hairdo and big bushy eyebrows, who also appeared to be saluting the pair of them.

"What is it, Lee?" Sakura asked kindly, trying not to cough on the dirt still floating in the air.

"I just wanted to confirm the rumor that Gaara and his siblings are in the village!" he said with such authority that Hanshara felt like it was a life or death situation.

"Yeah, Temari and Kankuro are around the village, Gaara is in the hospital _resting,_" (she seemed to emphasize that word) "and Hanshara is right here." Lee looked slightly taken back at Hanshara's appearance then bowed quickly.

"So you are the apprentice of Gaara," he proclaimed. "I am very pleased to meet you, for Gaara is one of my dear friends."

"Pleased to meet you too," the kunoichi replied, slightly hesitant at how to respond. The strange boy glanced at the crutch and then her sling.

"I am very sorry to see you in such pain!" he proclaimed, as loudly as before. "If it would help, I would do a hundred laps around Konoha, on my hands! I—"

"Lee!" Sakura interjected, holding her hands up to stop him. "Thank you for your concern, but there's no need to do that. I'm sure that if you calmly went to the hospital and _quietly_ talked to Gaara, then you would be able to visit him for a little while. I'm sure he would enjoy the company."

His eyes lit up happily and he nodded. "It will surely be a pleasure to see my old friend again! If you excuse me, I must be going!" Then he took off as fast as before, leaving the two kunoichi standing once again in a cloud of dust.

"Who—" (Hanshara coughed) "—was that?"

"Rock Lee," Sakura explained. "He's really—_spirited_—but his heart's in the right place and he is one of the sweetest boys I know. You just have to get used to his loud behavior."

Hanshara found herself agreeing. Once she got over the shock, she figured he would be a fun person to be with. He was almost like an over energetic Kankuro. She smirked mischievously. _Wonder how much sugar or coffee it would take to get Kankurou in that sort of mind? Maybe Temari can help me out with that once we return to Suna._

* * *

By the time they arrived at the apartment, Hanshara felt like she had met every single shinobi in the village.

After she met Rock Lee, two people walked by whom she swore were brother and sister (if their peculiar eyes were anything to go by) but later learned that they were cousins, Hinata and Neji. She was a little afraid of Neji at first, but he was kind to each of them and actually reminded her of Gaara, in a way. Hinata was very beautiful, yet incredibly shy, but as the conversation progressed she became more confident.

Later, they encountered a beautiful, snowy white dog that came about to her waist, followed by a tall boy with red triangles painted on his face and a person whom she guessed to be a boy, but with all those coats covering his body it was hard to tell. They had incredibly opposing personalities, but they appeared to get along like brothers. Kiba and Shino were their names, if she remembered correctly.

When Kiba learned of their arrival in Suna, he took off with his dog right behind him, yelling something about meeting Kankuro, leaving Shino in his stead. The boy with sunglasses left muttering under his breath that sounded something along the lines of, "Comrades should never leave each other behind."

Then a girl with two small hair buns came by, and for some reason Hanshara felt as if she were looking at another Temari—the same rash behavior and absolute confidence Temari held evident in her demeanor. Hanshara felt herself feeling pity for the boys that crossed her path, recalling all too well how Temari interacted with all the boys in Suna—especially her brothers.

As they walked down the hall to the apartment door, Hanshara overheard Temari's loud voice, arguing with someone whose voice she didn't recognize, along with Kankuro. She sighed and waited for Sakura to knock on the door hesitantly, wondering what other surprises lay in store for her.


	13. Chapter 13: Coming Home

**I have some reviewers to thank: **Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, :) , Meira Evenstar, unclejoex03, tenten10[chawp], UzumakiToba, Dimly, entity, **and **BlackRoseFire**! To show my humblest apologies, I give all nine of you some freshly baked butterscotch cookies!**

* * *

"I told you—I don't need any help!"

"Just thought you might want some."

"Yeah, he's actually being a gentleman for once."

"Heh! I would've thought it would be too troublesome for ya—eh, Shikamaru?"

"Shut up!"

"_Arf!_"

"Agree with you there, Akamaru. Looks like Shikamaru's got himself a girl—" _(smack!) _"ITAI!"

"Oi! Leave him alone, Temar—" _(SMACK!) _"You're going to open my wounds! THE ONES YOU GAVE ME!"

"Another word and I'll give you some new ones!"

Hanshara and Sakura just stood there in shock with the door halfway open, giving way to what was unfolding before them. Kankuro and Kiba were standing near the window, both rubbing their heads angrily while Akamaru stood protectively in front of Kiba, his teeth bared angrily at Temari who stood a few feet off to their right. She had her arms crossed with her fan resting against her side and Shikamaru was the closest to the door, rubbing his neck nervously, unsure of what to do next.

"You can hit Kiba or Shikamaru as much as you want," Sakura smirked as she stepped into the room, "but I would ask you not to hit Kankuro until he has fully healed," she added as she gently inspected his head.

"Hey!" Kiba pouted, glaring at Sakura. "Man, I'm glad Hinata's on my team, 'cause she's not a crazy kunoichi like you two!"

"Who're you calling crazy?" Sakura and Temari growled in unison.

"Uh . . . how about we just calm down," Hanshara said nervously, hobbling inside the room herself.

"Who're you?" Shikamaru asked, frowning at her injuries.

"Kurenzai Hanshara," she introduced, bowing her head slightly. When she looked up again she smirked, "So I'll assume that you are Shikamaru, ne?" The genius nodded. _Looks like Temari has been holding out on a little secret,_ she noted with glee. _I am definitely going to have to ask her about this later._

"Where's Gaara?" Temari asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Tsunade-sama has ordered he stay at least one more day so he can rest," Sakura informed her, finished with making sure Kankuro was all right.

"Poor guy. He must be bored out of his mind," Kankuro remarked as he sat on one of the beds.

Sakura sat down on the opposite side. "He's got Lee there to keep him company."

"Well I hope his ears are all right," Kiba smirked as he crouched down to pet Akamaru.

* * *

"My friend, I am sorry to see you in such pain!"

Gaara shifted his gaze to the door, slightly alarmed at the arrival of his visitor.

"It doesn't hurt so much now," he admitted.

Lee walked over to the bed and sat on one of the nearby chairs. "So what kind of mission were you on? You must have gone against some powerful opponents!"

Gaara was happy to have a visitor as well as the fact that it was Rock Lee, probably his closest friend after Naruto, but he felt slightly uncomfortable. The last time he had been in a hospital with Lee was when he had tried to kill him during the chuunin exams. Despite the fact that he had changed, it still left him with regret and shame for how he had lived his life previously. He wondered if Lee ever found out.

* * *

Hanshara cursed as Sakura had to—again—catch her as she stumbled. "When can I walk on my own?" she asked irritably.

"My guess would be two days, but three if you want to run all the way back to Suna," Sakura said apologetically.

"If Akamaru was bigger I'd offer you a ride," Kiba said. "But I'm afraid he's too small to do anything like that now." Akamaru whimpered in consent.

"It's all right. I just wish I had been quicker to avoid that idiot's jutsu," Hanshara huffed. They continued on their way to a local restaurant that Shikamaru said his team went to frequently. It wasn't the quietest of meals Hanshara had ever had (even compared to the ones she had in the Kazekage household) but she enjoyed it all the same.

Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru were very kind. Some were more spirited than others, but they nonetheless were interesting people to be around. Because of her closeness to the Kazekage's children and the fact that many people didn't like them, it was hard to find such loyal friends in Suna so she welcomed the opportunity to interact with the Konoha shinobi.

A few days later Hanshara let out a sigh of relief as they made their way through the entrance to Suna. As much as she enjoyed her stay in Konoha, she still somehow missed the desert. It just was her home and after having to put up with it for so many years she had grown to love it, now even more because it supplied her with an endless amount of sand for her jutsu. After leaving the village she and Gaara had spent some time replenishing their sand supply and she felt safer somehow with her deadly arsenal beside her.

The sun was setting and Baki was there waiting for them, leaning against one of the buildings. "Glad to see you made it all in one piece," he said happily. "Temari and Kankuro, I'm going to have to take you with me."

"Why?"

"The council wants to hear everything you learned from Hatake Kakashi about this 'Akatsuki' so they can judge the information for themselves. If it's serious enough they plan to ask for all the information that Konoha has on the matter, and even offer up services to investigate more into it," he explained. The two eldest siblings nodded, vanishing into the air and leaving Gaara and Hanshara to walk through the village alone.

They were silent for most of the way, each wrapped in their own thoughts and mulling over the mission. Temari and Kankuro had spent some of the first night in the apartment explaining everything to Gaara that they had learned from Kakashi so he could be forewarned. Gaara was pondering over how he could prepare himself against their attack while Hanshara was busy worrying over what would happen when they did attack. _If they had a man capable of using a jutsu like that in their hands, what other resources do they have?_

Their pondering was cut short within a block from the Kazekage Tower when some shinobi a little older than them came into view, the fading sunset casting a rich, yellow glow on their faces.

"So it looks like you're back from your mission," one of them began, his arms folded challengingly.

Another guy had a senbon sticking out of his mouth and he pushed it to the side as he smirked, "And it looks like you're pretty beat up."

"Seems like the enemies were pretty close to finishing you—I haven't seen you this injured before," a girl with short, tawny hair piped up. She chuckled as she rested a hand on her hip. "I wish I could go congratulate them, but I wish they finished the job." Her comment made the other two boys snicker.

Ever since Gaara had stopped killing people recklessly, it somehow gave some of the shinobi courage to openly antagonize the Jinchuuriki, knowing that he was trying hard to win over the village and wouldn't retaliate. Usually those who did it were shinobi slightly older in age, because most of the younger children either praised or feared him, while most of the adults couldn't be bothered or admired his efforts.

Gaara sighed to try and dissuade them from their tactics, but Hanshara could see his clenched fist and knew it was hurting him. She had seen his progress over the past few months as more and more people began to understand that he really had changed, but it always seemed like there were some who would never change their mind about how they felt about him.

Unwilling to have it progress any further Hanshara expertly and swiftly withdrew some of her sand from her left pouch and pinned the first boy to the wall off to her right.

"What are you doing!" the second boy protested as their female companion growled and withdrew a small blade.

"Teaching you some manners," Hanshara grinned, turning her attention back to the boy against the wall. His name was Chinatsu, and he and his chuunin team, Izumi and Goro, were the ones who most commonly voiced their hatred for Gaara. Hanshara had enough of their taunting.

"You're just a freak like him!" Izumi shrieked, clutching her weapon.

"No wonder you two get along so well," Goro spat.

"Let's just hope they don't go around making little monster children," Chinatsu scoffed, trying to ignore the way the sand was constricting in response to Hanshara's anger. "Kami help us all if they did."

Hanshara's eyes widened at his comment and her face flushed red—both from embarrassment and pure anger as the other two chortled with laughter at their teammate's "joke."

In one swift movement she threw Chinatsu to the ground and shifted to a battle stance. She lifted her hands up into the air and then threw them down, causing the trio to slide through the sand and they stopped once it reached their shoulders. Without wasting any time Hanshara crouched down and laid her hands flat on the ground so they were facing towards each other, then twisted them around as if she were turning a knob.

The sand around the three shinobi hardened instantly, trapping them despite their efforts to break free.

"Let us go, freak!" Izumi yelled angrily.

"No," Hanshara said simply as she walked around them. "I hope you can find someone to free you in case there's a sandstorm tonight."

Gaara's eyes widened as Hanshara continued walking towards the Kazekage Tower without looking back and he turned his attention to the growling and screaming shinobi before him. He looked them in the eye and shrugged, choosing to follow Hanshara, ignoring the angry protests that were directed at him.

"Do you really think that was wise?" Gaara asked somewhat hesitantly once he caught up with his pupil.

"Maybe not," she admitted with a shrug. "But at least they'll be mad at me and not you. Wanna help me make some dinner before Kankurou and Temari come back?" Gaara nodded his agreement but was shocked and amazed. Someone had actually stood up for him! Most of the time his siblings would glare at the offenders or people nearby who were on his side would tell them to shut up, but what Hanshara did was amazing! True, there might be repercussions and he was somewhat worried about what they would be, but he doubted it would be anything too bad.

All he cared about was that he had found someone who truly cared for him, and he eagerly set about helping Hanshara make dinner.

* * *

**EDIT: Holy moly—FINALLY I'm done fixing all these mistakes! I do hope things are a lot better than they were before. Please enjoy the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14: Buried Memories in the Sand

**Okay, so there are only about three more chapters left in this story and I want to get it over with before school starts up again in the fall! Here's hoping. And as for reviewers, I'd like to thank **Meira Evenstar, ak, Senyor Fier Mensheir, **and** angiesmile.

**Like I plan to do with all my other stories, I have gone back and fixed mistakes and formatting in all the previous chapters. Man that took forever! I apologize to those who have read those chapters previously, because they were awful. My sentences were too long, I was obsessed with the word "slightly," I went comma crazy, and I made lots of the naive mistakes you don't want to make. Anyway, it feels good to have this story up to par with my abilities now, and I'm amazed that people actually read the story up until now because I made so many stupid mistakes. Gah!**

**Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

Hanshara woke up feeling sore. She sat up in bed and gently but firmly massaged some feeling back into her injured thigh and forearm. Sakura had said that in order to keep the muscles working together properly she had to make sure and exercise them despite the pain. Therefore, she and Gaara spent the better part of yesterday running through drills specifically designed for their injuries. Hanshara would have preferred resting their first day back in Suna, but Sakura had recruited Temari into making sure they carried out her orders. Temari could really scare her sometimes.

Once her limbs felt loose enough for the day, Hanshara walked over to her dresser. She glanced at the picture frame and smiled. Before she exercised with Gaara, Temari dragged the two of them along with Kankuro to get their photo taken. Because of all the excitement with her first official mission Hanshara had completely forgotten about the blonde's promise.

Nothing really spectacular happened, but she finally had something tangible to represent the family she had gained. She and Gaara were in front, with Temari behind her and Kankuro in back of Gaara. Kankuro had his arm resting on Gaara's head while Gaara had his arms folded and graced the camera with his impassive stare. Hanshara could see the twinkle in his eyes that meant he was happy though. Temari was tightly grasping her shoulder and grinned with the powerful confidence she never seemed to run out of.

Hanshara opened her top drawer and pulled out a spare weapon pouch. Inside it were her life savings and it had grown rather large. For weeks she had been saving the money she made at her janitorial job as well as the odd D-rank missions she had been given by the council. No Kazekage had been chosen yet, so most matters were dealt by them. The absence of a Kazekage was quite surprising, and Hanshara wondered how many candidates they had in mind. Usually the decision didn't take this long, from what she'd heard.

The girl poured out the money and recounted it, despite the fact that she had already done so yesterday. After turning in her report she had gotten paid for the mission, and she had been quite satisfied with the amount. It wasn't much, but certainly more than the D-rank missions provided.

"I've finally got enough," she whispered to herself. Hanshara grinned in spite of herself and scooped all the money back into the pouch before having a small breakfast. Ordinarily she would have gone to work at the store, but there were some technical repairs that needed to be done and she wasn't needed. It meant that there was one less paying day, but it provided a perfect opportunity to accomplish some overdue tasks.

A few hours later found Hanshara in the graveyard, kneeling in front of a rather small stone monument. It wasn't as fancy as all the other surrounding monuments, but it suited Hanshara well enough. She traced the recently carved figures in the stone and smiled. It read "Kurenzai Takuto and Kurenzai Yuki."

"Now you've finally gotten a proper burial place," Hanshara said aloud. Of course, her parents' actual remains were nowhere to be found because she had never seen her parents since they died, and being five years old she wouldn't have been able to cremate them anyway. For the past eleven years their resting place had been in an abandoned alleyway, with a simple rock as the headstone. For remains Hanshara had buried her father's work gloves and mother's brush, which still had some strands of hair in it.

From her savings, she had just enough money for the smallest monument. The carving cost extra, but she knew she would be able to do a good enough job with a chakra-enhanced kunai. Because her parents were not shinobi, the monument was in the civilian part of the graveyard, which she actually preferred. Shinobi had their names carved on a joint monumental stone, and the one she purchased felt a little more personal.

"I wish you could see me now," she said wistfully. "You wouldn't believe what I've been able to do. And I'm sure you could have been able to be a shinobi dad—if anyone had been nice enough to allow it. You would have been one of the best." A few tears ran down her cheek. "I promise I will! I'll never be as good as Gaara, but I'm try my hardest!" She glanced at her mother's name.

"I don't know how you'd feel about me being a kunoichi though. You were always against me getting food by myself but you realized it was necessary. I guess it's necessary now as well, because this is the only way I can have a better life." She sighed. "Flowers are hard to come by, so I wasn't able to bring the two of you one, and I'm sorry. I hope this is good enough though."

Hanshara withdrew some special sand she had brought with her and molded it into the shape of an intricate rose. Then she closed her eyes and clenched her hands tightly as the sand before her came together and hardened. Soon it was hard as a rock and Hanshara laid it gently before the monument.

"I love you."

Feeling satisfied, Hanshara stood up and bowed before the grave, promising to visit as often as she could. A light breeze tickled her face and she glanced off into the distance.

There was one more thing she needed to do.

* * *

Hanshara took a deep breath, willing herself to step inside. _It will be easy_, she reasoned, _Go in, get what you want and make your point, then leave as quickly as possible_. Expelling all the air and pasting a fake smile on her face, she pushed open the door and entered.

The room was musty, remnant of an old melding workshop. The floors were covered in numerous display cases full of various objects ranging from antique jewelry to everyday house tools. As she glanced about the shop, she noticed that she was the only customer there presently, which she figured was for the better. Suddenly she found what she was looking for and eagerly snatched it from the table and held it up in the light, transfixed by the reflected glare from the tiny metal figure.

"You like it?" a gruff voice asked, trying to be pleasant. Hanshara's blood ran cold, and she found herself trying very hard not to hyperventilate. _That voice . . . _That voice that plagued her memories, that voice that terrified her very soul—that voice that leaked with pure evil.

She gulped and put on the fake smile. "Yes, it's exactly what I was looking for," she announced happily, turning up to look at him. He was exactly as she had remembered; burly figure with long hair that now held gray streaks and his hard, calculating face now had a couple wrinkles.

"Is that all you'd like, miss?" _Wow, didn't know you could be so cordial, _she thought maliciously._ Must be really killing you. _

"Yes, that would be all." _At least for now._ As she followed the man to the register, she noticed two boys and a girl running around, all about the same age, all whom were obviously the man's children. What was more, it appeared that the woman standing next to him organizing merchandise on the counter was his wife. Hanshara gulped. That would complicate her plans a bit.

The woman gave her a warm smile. "How are you dear?" she asked happily. Hanshara decided that she liked this woman; she was kind and very beautiful, with lovely sand-colored hair that fell about her face delicately and she also carried herself about with dignity, despite the fact that she wore a simple tunic with a washed out apron.

"Fine. Are these all yours?" The woman chuckled.

"Yes, and they're all triplets." That proved to be true; all three ceased tinkering with the wooden toys and ran up to Hanshara as if she were a friend they could play with.

"Oi, nee-san! Did you come here to buy stuff?" one little boy asked, remnants of lunch still evident around his lips. Onigiri by the looks of it.

"Don't bug the poor girl," their mother scolded from behind the counter. "Give her some room."

"It's all right," Hanshara chuckled, not at all bothered by the kid's curiosity.

"What's your name?" the other boy asked, who was the cleanest of the three.

_Here I go_. "You can call me Hanshara," she smiled, placing a hand on the second little boy's head and messing up his hair slightly. Then she glanced up with a grin on her face.

"But your _father_," she said through clenched teeth (putting as much "pleasant" bitterness into each syllable), "can call me Emmy." The effect was immediate. All the color drained from the man's face in an instant and he stared back at the devilish smirk with utmost horror. He found he could no longer breathe and beads of sweat started forming on his scalp; his whole body began to tremble.

His wife frowned, clearly understanding she was missing something, then turned to face her husband and was even more confused. "What is she—"

"I haven't forgotten," Hanshara continued, still glaring at the man with her fiendish smile. She lifted up her shirt and exposed the ragged scar that cut across her chest. The man's eyes widened, and his wife gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. Hanshara had made sure to keep the scar out of the kids' sight.

"Oh, and one more thing," Hanshara explained, putting her shirt down and extending out her hand, "I took what you _carved_ on my parent's bodies to heart, and have fully embraced my ancestry." With that she detached the sand that had been previously stuck against her skin with chakra and sent it towards the bag that held her purchase, carefully yanking it out of the man's grasp before pulling it back towards her. Once it was in her possession, she caused the small amount of sand to go back and it roughly deposited the exact cost of the transaction on the counter, the coins clanging and rolling off onto the floor.

Hanshara waited a second longer, still staring at the man with as much vehemence as possible, then grinned happily and waved. "Bye!" she declared before turning away and leaving the shop. When she got to the door the kunoichi stole a quick glance back to the counter, and noticed with delight that the man looked like he had just seen a ghost while his wife was standing next to him, the realization of what her husband did etched out in horror across her face. The kids stood there confused, not sure what was going on but knowing that it couldn't be good.

_Glad we could have settled that, monster_. With that, she quickly vacated the shop and as she walked back through the streets, took the object out of the bag and examined it. The necklace was as beautiful as ever with the Suna symbol gleaming in the sunlight.

Soon she reached the gravesite, and once she found her parent's grave knelt down before it.

"I finally did it, mother . . . father," Hanshara whispered, running her fingers over the names etched in stone. "You can be at peace now." Then she unclasped the necklace and re-attached it firmly around her neck, fingering the metal once it was safe and secure, then burst into tears that progressed into full out sobs.

It had been torture there, standing next to the man who killed her parents, knowing that he had walked free all these years. He had been able to marry a beautiful woman and have three children with her, knowing all along what he had done. At least now, his wife had an idea of whom she had married.

All the time she was there with him, her fingers were itching to perform _Sabaku SouShu_. It would have been easy and hardly any effort would have been used on her part. However, she knew it would not be proper to sink to his level, and the result of her preferred course of action would have a greater lasting effect than simply killing him.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, and upon glancing up discovered it was Gaara, staring at her in bewilderment. She smiled weakly and tried to brush off her behavior, only to erupt into more sobs. Gaara crouched down and embraced her, not needing words to express his concern. He knew that she missed her parents, though he could tell that something else was bothering her. Hanshara was like his sister Temari in many ways, one of which being that it took a lot for them to show personal emotions.

"Would you like to come to dinner?" he asked once she had calmed down sufficiently.

"Depends on who's cooking," she joked. Gaara looked worried.

"You really wouldn't come if Kankuro cooked?" he asked in amazement.

Hanshara sighed and rolled her eyes. "We still need to work on your understanding of sarcasm."

* * *

"Kankuro and Temari left for an urgent meeting a while ago, so they should be returning soon," Gaara explained when they entered the kitchen.

"Does it have to do with Akatsuki?" Hanshara asked. She poured two glasses of water and gave one to Gaara who shrugged.

"Baki came to get them, and even he didn't know what it was about. Just that it was important."

To bide time, the two of them discussed the previous mission; what when wrong, what went well, and how they could adjust their training to avoid the same mistakes. When they were discussing various kunai attacks, there was a loud rap on the door. Gaara opened it only to find one of the council's message chuunin.

"You have been summoned to join the discussion your elder siblings are currently engaged in," he announced.

"I will come." Gaara glanced over his shoulder. "Will you be all right?"

Hanshara waved him off. "I'll be fine. You go and I'll have dinner waiting for the three of you. How does yakitori and sashimi sound?" Gaara nodded before following the chuunin to the council room. The kunoichi cracked her knuckles and faced the refrigerator.

"Now, let's see if I can make this without setting the food on fire."

* * *

**All right! Glad to have gotten that out of the way. I always luv it when people get what they deserve, though sadly it doesn't happen enough in the real world. That's what fanfiction is for though! Can anyone guess what the meeting is about? Brownie points if you can!**


End file.
